Reuters: Russia’s longstanding demands resurface in talks with US over Ukraine conflict

Russia has presented the United States with a list of demands as part of efforts to secure an agreement to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations between Moscow and Washington.

“It is unclear exactly what Moscow has included in its list or whether it is willing to hold peace talks with Kyiv until these demands are met,” two sources familiar with the matter stated while speaking to Reuters, per Caliber.Az.

They added that Russian and US officials have discussed these terms in both face-to-face and virtual meetings over the past three weeks. The Kremlin’s conditions, the sources noted, are broad and align with demands it has previously made to Ukraine, the United States, and NATO. These demands reportedly include Ukraine’s non-membership in NATO, an agreement not to station foreign troops in Ukraine, and international recognition of President Vladimir Putin's claim over Crimea and four other regions. Furthermore, Russia has repeatedly demanded that the US and NATO address what it calls the “root causes” of the war, which includes NATO’s eastward expansion.

The article also mentions US President Donald Trump is awaiting a response from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated he would accept as a first step toward peace talks. However, Putin's commitment to a potential ceasefire remains uncertain, and many details are yet to be agreed upon. Some US officials, lawmakers, and experts have expressed concern that Putin, a former KGB officer, may use the ceasefire to divide the US, Ukraine, and Europe, thereby undermining any meaningful peace discussions.

The Russian Embassy in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, President Zelenskyy praised this week’s meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia as constructive, emphasizing that a potential 30-day ceasefire with Russia could serve as a foundation for a more comprehensive peace deal.

Russia’s demands, some of which have been echoed over the past two decades, have already appeared in formal negotiations with the US and Europe. Experts suggest that these demands are not just aimed at shaping an agreement with Ukraine, but also at influencing the broader arrangements with the West. Russia’s longstanding demands are believed to be part of its broader objective to limit NATO’s military presence in Europe and potentially increase Putin’s influence on the continent.

“There’s no indication that the Russians are willing to make any concessions,” said Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who previously served as the US intelligence community’s chief Russia and Eurasia analyst. “The demands haven’t changed. I don’t think they’re really interested in peace or a meaningful ceasefire,” she added.

According to US government documents reviewed by Reuters, senior officials from the Biden administration engaged with Russian counterparts over three key Kremlin demands in their efforts to avert what US intelligence officials warned was an imminent Russian invasion. These demands included banning US and NATO forces from conducting military exercises on the territories of newly inducted NATO members, preventing the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles in Europe or Russian territory, and halting US or NATO military exercises across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

“These are the same Russian demands that have been made since 1945,” said Corey Shake, a former Pentagon official and current director of foreign and defence policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. “Given the Trump administration's behaviour in recent weeks, the Europeans aren’t just afraid we’re abandoning them; they’re afraid we’ve joined the enemy,” Shake added.

By Tamilla Hasanova