Putin's demands: Halt NATO, lift sanctions for peace in Ukraine
Stop to NATO expansion eastward and lifting of all sanctions—these are the main demands of Vladimir Putin for ending the war in Ukraine. The information was reported by the Reuters agency, citing three Russian sources connected to the Kremlin.
Many of the reports provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely not true. Such claims may be part of an information warfare effort by the Russian Federation.
What do you need to know?
- What are Putin's conditions regarding Ukraine? The leader of the Russian Federation wants a written commitment to stop NATO's eastward expansion.
- What are Russia's expectations concerning sanctions? Moscow also demands the lifting of sanctions.
- What are the demands concerning Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine? The Kremlin wants security and protection assurances for all Russians living in Ukraine.
What are Russia's expectations in the peace negotiations?
President Vladimir Putin has outlined the conditions for ending the war in Ukraine. According to Reuters, based on three Russian sources knowledgeable about the negotiations, the leader of Russia demands that Western leaders provide a written commitment to halt NATO's eastward expansion and lift some sanctions against Russia.
One of the high-ranking Russian informants, who is informed about the Kremlin's key decisions, anonymously told the agency's representative that Putin is willing to make peace, but not at any cost.
Russian sources reported that Putin wants a "written" commitment from the main Western powers that they will not expand the US-led NATO alliance eastward. In practice, this means that Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics would be excluded from joining the alliance. Russia also wants Ukraine to maintain neutrality.
What should happen to Russian assets?
Russia is also expected to impose a condition concerning Western sanctions imposed in connection with the attack on Ukraine and actions initiated in 2014 and continued since 2022 in the form of a full-scale war. The Kremlin is expected to demand the lifting of these restrictions and the resolution of the issue of frozen Russian assets.
Among the conditions will also be the matter of Russian-speaking citizens living in Ukraine. Moscow's expectation will be to provide security guarantees for these social groups.
What are Putin's territorial expectations?
The first source informed Reuters reporters that if Putin saw a tactical opportunity on the battlefield, he would advance further into Ukraine. The Kremlin believes that Russia can fight for years regardless of sanctions and economic difficulties imposed by the West. The second source, however, reported that Putin is now less inclined to compromise on territorial issues and maintains his public position. He wants the official transfer of four regions in eastern Ukraine to Russia.
In June last year, Putin presented preliminary conditions for the immediate end of the war: Ukraine must abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw all its troops from all territories of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims rights to and mostly controls. In addition to Crimea, annexed in 2014, Russia currently controls nearly all of Luhansk, over 70 percent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. It also occupies parts of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions and threatens Dnipropetrovsk.
