Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The demands are still unacceptable to Ukraine, though.,
The demands are still unacceptable to Ukraine, though.,
What is happening?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined his terms for ending the war in Ukraine, according to three sources familiar with high-level Kremlin thinking.
The demands
The sources told Reuters, that the demands include Ukraine withdrawing from all of the eastern Donbas region, dropping its ambition to join NATO, remaining neutral, and banning Western troops from entering the country.
Putin softens earlier demands—but not by much
In a shift from his previous position in June 2024, Putin is now only demanding full control of the Donbas, rather than the entirety of four Ukrainian provinces.
In exchange, Russia would freeze its current military lines in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
High-stakes summit between Putin and Trump
Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, marking their first summit in over four years.
Their closed-door meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, focused almost entirely on potential compromises to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
However, both leaders remained vague about the specifics afterward.
Kremlin signals readiness to cede some territory
According to the same sources, Moscow may be willing to hand back small areas it currently holds in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Still, Russia wants guarantees that Ukraine won’t join NATO and that no Western troops will be stationed on Ukrainian soil.
Ukraine holds the line
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has categorically rejected the idea of giving up any part of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory.
“It is a matter of our country’s survival,” he stated. The Donbas region, he added, is vital to halting further Russian advances.
NATO membership still a core Ukrainian goal
Joining NATO remains a strategic priority for Ukraine and is written into the country’s constitution.
Zelenskiy emphasized that it’s not for Russia to decide who joins the alliance.
The U.S. and NATO have not publicly responded to Putin’s latest demands.
Analysts: Putin’s Peace offer may be political theater
Experts, including RAND Corporation’s Samuel Charap, are skeptical.
Charap told Reuters that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbas is a non-starter and that Putin’s overtures could be more about optics for Trump than a genuine willingness to compromise.
Trump claims a path to peace is emerging
Trump said he believes Putin genuinely wants peace, citing their Anchorage meeting as the best opening for a deal since the war began.
“I feel confident we are going to get it solved,” he told reporters beside Zelenskiy in the Oval Office.
Legitimacy questions cloud Zelenskiy’s role
Putin has raised doubts over Zelenskiy’s authority to sign a peace deal, pointing to the expired presidential term.
Kyiv insists Zelenskiy remains the legitimate leader, with elections postponed due to the war.
Western leaders remain doubtful about Putin’s true intentions.
A new peace framework—or a return to 2022?
Talks are underway to explore several peace deal formats.
One option includes a trilateral agreement between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S., possibly backed by the U.N. Security Council.
Another revisits the shelved 2022 Istanbul framework, centered on Ukrainian neutrality with security guarantees from world powers.
