Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking written guarantees from Western powers to halt NATO’s eastward expansion and partially lift sanctions as part of any peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, citing three sources familiar with Kremlin deliberations.
The conditions include a formal commitment that Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova will not be admitted to the NATO alliance, and that Ukraine adopts a neutral stance going forward. Russia is also calling for the lifting of key Western sanctions, a resolution of the status of frozen Russian assets, and legal protections for Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine.
“Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price,” one senior Russian source told Reuters.
The report comes as Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, with the Kremlin believed to be strengthening its bargaining position on the battlefield while laying out diplomatic demands.
The push for negotiations reportedly follows a two-hour conversation last week between President Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made ending the conflict a central promise of his foreign policy agenda.
Putin told Trump he would work with Ukraine to draft a memorandum outlining a potential ceasefire and the framework for broader talks. However, Kyiv and its allies have accused Moscow of using negotiations as a stalling tactic while consolidating military gains.
Russia is currently drafting its version of the memorandum. No timeline has been given for when it will be finalized.
According to Reuters, Putin has also hardened his stance on territorial claims, now insisting that Russia must retain control over all four Ukrainian regions it has claimed to annex — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
“Putin has toughened his position,” one source said, adding that the Kremlin believes it can continue the war for years despite Western sanctions and mounting economic pressure.
Despite his previously warm tone toward Putin, Donald Trump has issued stern warnings in recent days. On Tuesday, he accused the Russian leader of “playing with fire” for refusing to engage in serious ceasefire talks.
On social media, Trump went further, suggesting Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” after launching an unprecedented wave of airstrikes across Ukrainian cities last week.
Trump has also threatened additional U.S. sanctions should Moscow continue to delay peace negotiations.
Ukrainian officials have dismissed Putin’s demands, arguing that Moscow should not be granted veto power over Ukraine’s sovereignty or its aspiration to join NATO.
“Security guarantees from the West are not optional — they are essential,” said a senior Ukrainian official. “Russia cannot dictate our future.”
Kyiv has also insisted that any peace deal must include a full withdrawal of Russian troops and restoration of its territorial integrity.
The Kremlin has not responded to the Reuters report. However, Russian officials, including Putin, have repeatedly stated that any peace settlement must address what they call the “root causes” of the war — a reference to Russia’s goals of “denazification” and demilitarization of Ukraine.
Western analysts believe that Moscow is pursuing a strategy of negotiating from a position of strength, using battlefield momentum to extract political concessions while keeping diplomatic channels open.
With no concrete agreement in sight and military operations intensifying, the path to peace remains highly uncertain.
