Russia has set conditions for the US to end the war: what does the Kremlin demand?
13 March 09:54
Russia has handed over to the United States a list of conditions for a possible agreement to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations with Washington. This was reported by Reuters with reference to two independent sources, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs
What the Kremlin demands
According to the sources, Russian and American officials have been holding talks over the past three weeks to discuss the terms of a possible end to the war. The meetings took place both in person and via remote communication channels.
“The Russian side presented a wide range of demands, which generally repeat the same conditions that the Kremlin has previously put forward to Ukraine, the United States and NATO,” Reuters said.
Moscow’s main demands include:
- Ukraine’s rejection of NATO membership;
- An agreement on the non-deployment of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine;
- International recognition of the occupied Crimea and four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.
What is the US position?
According to journalists, US President Donald Trump is awaiting an official announcement from Vladimir Putin regarding his readiness for a 30-day truce. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Kyiv was ready to consider such a proposal as a first step toward possible negotiations.
However, Washington is in no hurry to make official statements on Moscow’s proposals. U.S. lawmakers and experts are concerned that Putin could use the truce to strengthen his position, exacerbate the split between the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe, and disrupt possible peace talks.
Old demands
Experts say that Russia’s demands are likely aimed not only at forming a final agreement with Ukraine, but also at becoming the basis for agreements with the West.
Over the past two decades, Russia has made similar demands of the United States – demands that would limit the West’s ability to build a stronger military presence in Europe and potentially allow Putin to expand his influence on the continent.
“There are no signs that the Russians are ready to make any concessions. The demands have not changed. I don’t think they’re really interested in peace or a meaningful ceasefire,” said Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has been a senior US intelligence analyst on Russia and Eurasia.
According to U.S. government documents seen by Reuters, senior Biden administration officials worked with their Russian counterparts on three Kremlin demands. According to the documents, these included a ban on military exercises by the United States and other NATO forces on the territories of new alliance members and a ban on the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles in Europe or elsewhere within Russian territory.
“These are the same demands Russia has been making since 1945,” said Corey Shake, a former Pentagon official.
Peaceful resolution of the war may take place after 2026
European intelligence has learned Russia’s conditions for ending the war, which were prepared for the Kremlin by an unnamed think tank led by the FSB, The Washington Post reports. The document, which was reviewed by the newspaper’s journalists, contains a list of requirements for Ukraine and its allies.
Russia rejects President Donald Trump’s plans for a peace deal within 100 days as “impossible to implement” and says that “a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis cannot take place before 2026.”
The document rejects any plan to deploy European peacekeepers to Ukraine and demands recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over the seized Ukrainian territories. It also calls for the creation of a buffer zone in northeastern Ukraine on the border with Russian regions such as Bryansk and Belgorod, as well as a demilitarized zone in southern Ukraine near annexed Crimea. The latter will affect Odesa region.
In addition, the document refers to the need for a “complete dismantling” of the current Ukrainian government.
Also, according to the recommendations of Russian analysts, Russia should work to weaken the US negotiating position on Ukraine by stoking tensions between the Trump administration and other countries.
The publication notes that the document was prepared a week before the talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which took place on February 18.
The Washington Post, citing an interlocutor close to Russian diplomats, reports that the document reflects a broad consensus in Moscow on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. But it is not known to what extent the Kremlin has heeded these recommendations.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia had not handed over anything to the United States. According to him, the Kremlin “was not aware of such recommendations,” calling them “extremely controversial” and adding that “we are working with more balanced options.”
Is peace possible?
Despite the fact that Russia has put forward its own conditions, their realism raises serious doubts. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it will not accept the loss of its territories, and the West insists on respecting international law.
So far, there has been no official response from the United States to these proposals. The situation remains tense, and further developments will depend on diplomatic efforts and the military situation at the front.
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