The war between Ukraine and Russia can only end on Vladimir Putin's terms. Exclusive sources for Reuters News Agency indicate that President Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders commit in writing to halt NATO's eastward expansion and to lift some sanctions on Russia.
After speaking with Trump for more than two hours last week, Putin said he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum that would outline the contours of a peace deal, including the timing of a ceasefire, A2 CNN reports. Russia says it is currently drafting its own version of the memorandum and cannot estimate how long it will take. Kiev and European governments have accused Moscow of stalling as its troops advance into eastern Ukraine.
“Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price,” a senior Russian source told Reuters. The three Russian sources said Putin wants a “written” promise from major Western powers not to expand the U.S.-led NATO alliance eastward, as well as a formal exclusion from membership of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the deadliest European conflict since World War II and has shown growing frustration with Putin in recent days, warning on Tuesday that the Russian leader is "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kiev as his forces made gains on the battlefield.
Russia also wants Ukraine to be neutral, some Western sanctions lifted, a resolution to the issue of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West and protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine, the three sources told Reuters. If Putin realizes he is unable to reach a peace deal on his terms, he will seek to show Ukrainians and Europeans with military victories that “peace tomorrow will be even more painful.”
The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment on the Reuters report. Putin and Russian officials have repeatedly said that any peace deal must address the "root causes" of the conflict with Ukraine. (A2 Televizion)
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