No NATO expansion and lifting of sanctions – Reuters reports on Putin's conditions "for peace"

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has a number of conditions for ending the Russo-Ukrainian war, particularly a written commitment from Western leaders to stop NATO's eastward expansion and lift some sanctions against Russia. 

Source: Reuters with reference to three unnamed Russian officials familiar with the talks 

Quote: "Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price."

Details: The three Russian sources specified that the Kremlin leader wants a written commitment from major Western powers not to expand NATO eastward – that is, the official exclusion of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics from membership.

Russia also wants Ukraine to be neutral, some Western sanctions against Russia to be lifted, the issue of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West to be resolved and "protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine".

One of Reuters' sources stressed that if Putin realises that he cannot achieve a peace agreement on his terms, he will try to show Ukrainians and Europeans through military victories that "peace tomorrow will be even more painful".

The Kremlin did not respond to the agency's query for comment on these reports.

Putin and Russian officials have repeatedly stated that any peace agreement must be aimed at eliminating the "root causes" of the war. Here, the Russians are referring to NATO expansion and Western support for Ukraine.

Kyiv has repeatedly stated that Russia cannot be given a veto over Ukraine’s aspirations to join the Alliance. Ukraine also says it needs firm security guarantees from the West that would deter any future Russian attack.

NATO has also stated in the past that it will not change its open-door policy simply because Moscow demands it.

Background:

• In March, Putin stated that Russia had agreed with the proposal to cease hostilities in Ukraine, but there were a number of issues that needed to be resolved.
• At a press conference on 14 December 2024, Putin noted that the war against Ukraine would end when he had achieved all his goals.
• In June 2024, Putin laid out his initial conditions for an immediate end to the war. The Kremlin leader demands that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw all its troops from the four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims and partially controls.

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