Vladimir Putin took the West by surprise on Friday as he set out his most concrete ceasefire conditions yet to end the war in Ukraine. However, the Kremlin proposal was immediately condemned as absurd mind games by Western officials, who ridiculed Mr Putin's demands.

President Putin said that Ukraine would have to give up on joining NATO while Kyiv's troops would have to retreat from four territories that Russia claims to have annexed but never fully occupied.

Under the demands, Ukraine would have to withdraw from roughly 26,000 square-kilometres that it currently occupies before peace talks can even begin. This would effectively mean Ukraine giving up an area bigger than some entire countries - including Israel, Slovenia and North Macedonia. For comparison, the total area of Israel is just 22,145 square-kilometres.

Ukraine has laughed off claims that Mr Putin would win an area of that size without a fight.

When combined with the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, Mr Putin would end up with around 135,000 square kilometres, or a fifth of the entire country.

The conditions cover areas that Moscow has never once occupied since it began its invasion two years ago. This includes full control of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. Fighting has continued to rage in all four regions in recent months, with Russian forces slowly seizing the initiative on the frontline.

In a speech to foreign policy officials on Friday, President Putin said: “New territorial realities must be recognised. All these basic principal conditions must be set through fundamental international agreements. Naturally, this involves the cancellation of all Western sanctions against Russia.

"Today we are making another specific, real peace offering. If Kyiv and western capitals refuse it as they did before, then that’s their issue at the end of the day — their political and moral responsibility for the continued bloodshed.

“Obviously, the facts on the ground at the front will continue to change, not in the Kyiv regime’s favour, and the conditions to begin negotiations will be different.”

Ukraine said the Russian leader's proposal amounted to capitulation and would leave the country vulnerable to future attacks. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called the proposal a "complete sham" and "offensive to common sense".

President Volodymyr Zelensky has long said Ukraine will not negotiate with Moscow until Russian forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.

Respond to the latest offer, Mr Zelensky said: "These messages are ultimatum messages. It's the same thing Hitler did, when he said 'give me a part of Czechoslovakia and it'll end here'."

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also dismissed the demands, saying: "Putin has illegally occupied sovereign Ukrainian territory. He is not in any position to dictate to Ukraine what they must do to bring about a peace."

The announcement from the Kremlin came on the eve of a much-anticipated two-day summit focused on peace in Ukraine.

Leaders from 90 countries will meet in Switzerland on Saturday to discuss paths towards peace in Ukraine - a summit Russia has not been invited to and which China turned down.

Attendees include US Vice-President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.