Putin 'offered surrender terms by the West' as his troops retreat from Kherson

11 November 2022, 20:54

Vladimir Putin has been offered surrender terms by the West as his troops retreat from Kherson.

The surrender would mean Russia gives up all of its territory in Ukraine except Crimea, a Russian policy expert said.

Crimea would become a demilitarised zone, with its status not being discussed again until 2029.

Putin would avoid criminal charges over the war in return and be allowed to remain in power, Professor Valery Solovey, formerly at Moscow's Institute of International Relations claimed.

He said the proposal had been discussed between Kyiv and its Western allies before being proposed to Putin's inner circlea.

As the war continues to take its toll, Russia has called for a return to the negotiating table in recent days.

But Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously insisted that he would not negotiate with Russia while Putin remained in power.

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It comes after Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered troops to retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River on Wednesday amid Ukrainian attacks near the southwestern city.

In televised comments, Russia's top commander in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, said it was no longer possible to supply Kherson city.

"We will save the lives of our soldiers and fighting capacity of our units," he said.

"Keeping them on the right [Western] bank is futile. Some of them can be used on other fronts."

Shoigu told him: "I agree with your conclusions and proposals.

"Proceed with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to transfer forces across the river."

The city of Kherson was the only regional capital to have been captured by Russian troops since the invasion began and the retreat marks a significant defeat for Russia.

However the Kremlin denied the retreat was a humiliation for Putin.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said: "The loss of Kherson will turn all those southern dreams by the Kremlin into dust.

"Kherson is a key to the entire southern region, which would allow Ukraine to target key supply routes for the Russian forces. Russians will try to retain control of it using all means."