Key points
- Previous demands included no NATO membership for Kyiv
- No foreign troops in Ukraine
- An end to NATO’s eastward expansion
ISLAMABAD: Russia has laid out its demands for talks with the US on ending the Ukraine war and resetting relations with Washington.
The Reuters news agency reported quoting two sources familiar with development that it was unclear what exactly Moscow included on its list or whether it was willing to engage in peace talks with Kyiv prior to their acceptance.
The demands were described as broad and similar to the ones Russia previously presented to Ukraine, the US and NATO.
It reported that Russian and American officials discussed the terms during in-person and virtual conversations over the last three weeks.
The earlier discussed demands included no NATO membership for Kyiv, an agreement not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine and international recognition of President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Crimea and four provinces belong to Russia.
Word from Putin
Among Russia’s key demands even before the war was an end to NATO’s eastward expansion.
US President Donald Trump is awaiting word from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he would accept as a first step toward peace talks.
Putin’s commitment to a potential ceasefire agreement is still uncertain, with details yet to be finalised, Reuters said.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed this week’s meeting in Saudi Arabia between US and Ukrainian officials as “constructive” and said a potential 30-day ceasefire with Russia could be used to draft a broader peace deal.
Moscow has raised many of these same demands over the last two decades, some making their way into formal negotiations with the US and Europe.
Most recently, Moscow discussed them with the Biden administration in a series of meetings in late 2021 and early 2022 as tens of thousands of Russian troops sat on Ukraine’s border, awaiting the order to invade.
Russia studying US proposal
Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that Russia was studying a US ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has already accepted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected “strong steps” from the US against Russia if Moscow does not accept the proposal.
Trump said there had been “positive messages” on the effort, stressing that reaching a truce is now “up to Russia”.
Russia has claimed major gains in the Kursk region, as Ukrainian military officials said forces may have to be relocated to save lives.
