Putin ready to end war against Ukraine, but dictates his own terms – Reuters
20 November 2024 12:27
Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine with US President-elect Donald Trump, but he rules out any significant territorial concessions and insists that Kyiv refuse to join NATO. Reuters writes about this with reference to five informed sources, according to
The five current and former Russian officials said the Kremlin could generally agree to freeze the conflict along the front line.
Kremlin’s conditions
According to the three people, who wished to remain anonymous, the possibility of negotiating the exact division of the four eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson is being considered.
Russia is ready to withdraw troops from the relatively small swaths of territory it holds in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions, in northern and southern Ukraine, two officials said.
US President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to launch ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory could complicate and delay any settlement – and increase Moscow’s demands as hardliners seek to gain more of Ukraine, the two sources said.
If a ceasefire is not reached, two sources said, Russia will continue to fight.
Conditions for ending the war
On June 14, Putin announced his first conditions for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and largely controlled by Russia.
According to the sources, Russia is allegedly open to discussing security guarantees for Kyiv, but “will not allow Ukraine to join NATO or have NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.”
Other concessions from Ukraine that the Kremlin may seek include an agreement to limit the size of the armed forces and a commitment not to restrict the use of the Russian language.
The Kremlin and domestic propaganda
One source said that inside Russia, Putin could “sell” as a victory the ceasefire agreement, under which Moscow retained most of the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which protected the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine and preserved the land bridge to Crimea.
The future of Crimea itself is not under discussion, all Russian officials have said.
What a possible ceasefire might look like
When asked what a possible ceasefire might look like, the two Russian officials referred to a draft agreement that was considered in April 2022 after talks in Istanbul.
According to this draft, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Ukraine would have to agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
One Russian official said that there will be no deal unless Ukraine receives security guarantees, adding: “the question is how to avoid a deal that will one day condemn the West to a possible direct confrontation with Russia.”
As reported by
Donald Trump will return to the White House in January, promising to end the war quickly. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Putin to engage in peace talks during a phone call on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he would talk to the Russian leader when the time comes.
Two European officials said they increasingly recognize that Zelenskiy will have to compromise with Putin as it has become clear that neither side can secure a decisive victory.
