Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid out clear conditions for a possible end to the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters, citing three well-informed sources close to the Russian leadership. The main demands include a legally binding commitment from Western leaders to halt NATO’s eastward expansion—specifically barring Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics from joining the alliance—as well as the partial lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia.
According to Reuters, Putin sees NATO enlargement as the root cause of the conflict and insists that any peace agreement must include formal written guarantees on this issue. Additionally, Moscow is demanding Ukraine’s neutral status, the unfreezing of Russian sovereign assets in the West, and “protection for Russian speakers” within Ukraine.
“Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price,” said one senior source familiar with Kremlin thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Dialogue Between Putin and Trump Continues
Last week, President Putin spoke with President Donald Trump for over two hours. Following the conversation, Putin stated he had agreed to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that would outline the parameters of a peace agreement, including the timing of a ceasefire. Currently, the Kremlin is preparing its draft of this memorandum but has not indicated when it might be completed.
Meanwhile, Kyiv and European capitals accuse Moscow of stalling talks while simultaneously intensifying military operations in eastern Ukraine. Against this backdrop, President Trump—who has long positioned himself as a proponent of peace and emphasizes his “friendly” relationship with Putin—has publicly expressed frustration with the Kremlin’s tactics.
“Putin is playing with fire,” Trump wrote on Tuesday in reference to Russia’s refusal to engage in ceasefire negotiations.
On Sunday, he added on social media: “He’s absolutely CRAZY,” responding to a massive aerial attack launched by Russia on Ukraine.
Trump has also warned that Washington may impose harsher sanctions if Russia continues to delay efforts to find a peaceful resolution. He has previously argued that U.S. support for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations was one of the main causes of the current war.
Moscow’s Hardened Position
According to Reuters sources, if Putin concludes that peace on his terms is unattainable, he will attempt to achieve military victories to demonstrate to Ukraine and the West that a future peace settlement could be far more painful.
One insider told the agency that the Kremlin believes Russia can continue fighting for many years regardless of sanctions or economic pressure. A second source noted that Putin has become less willing to compromise on territorial issues and is now demanding full control over all four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
“Putin has toughened his position,” the source said regarding territorial negotiations.
Russia currently holds nearly all of Luhansk, over 70% of Donetsk, and significant portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. It also occupies parts of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions and is applying military pressure on Dnipropetrovsk.
Ukraine and the West: A Clash of Visions
Kyiv has consistently stated that Russia must not be given veto power over Ukraine’s foreign policy decisions. Ukrainian officials are calling on the West to provide strong, binding security guarantees to deter future aggression.
NATO has also emphasized that it will not abandon its “open-door policy” in response to Russian demands. While the alliance did not respond to Reuters’ inquiries, it has previously reaffirmed that each sovereign state has the right to determine its own security arrangements.
Origins of the Conflict and Economic Fallout
Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 following eight years of hostilities in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists. Russia now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. While Russian advances have accelerated in the past year, both countries continue to suffer enormous losses, and Russia’s wartime economy is increasingly strained.
As Reuters reported in January 2025, Putin has grown concerned about internal economic instability. High inflation, labor shortages, and elevated interest rates are weighing on the Russian economy. Oil prices—the cornerstone of Russia’s economic model—have steadily declined throughout 2025.
NATO, History, and Russia’s Strategic Grievances
The Kremlin portrays NATO’s post-1991 expansion as a strategic mistake and humiliation for Russia. Putin frequently refers to alleged verbal assurances given in 1990 by U.S. Secretary of State James Baker to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand eastward. Although never formalized, these assurances remain a cornerstone of Russia’s narrative.
Former CIA Director William J. Burns acknowledged in his memoirs that such informal promises were made, albeit at a time when the Soviet Union still existed. The Kremlin claims the West broke these understandings after the USSR collapsed.
At NATO’s 2008 Bucharest summit, alliance leaders declared that Ukraine and Georgia “will become members of NATO.”
In 2019, Ukraine amended its constitution to affirm its path toward NATO and EU membership.
Russia’s 2022 invasion prompted Finland to join NATO in 2023 and Sweden in 2024. Western officials argue that if Russia is allowed to win the war in Ukraine, it may one day attack NATO directly—a scenario that could trigger a global conflict. Moscow dismisses such warnings as alarmist but has itself cautioned that the war could escalate into a broader confrontation.
What Comes Next?
It remains unclear whether the current escalation will lead to serious negotiations or result in the complete collapse of peace efforts. Trump maintains that he can bring the war to an end. However, according to Reuters, Moscow appears prepared to continue the conflict for years if its strategic demands are not met.
The Kremlin sees the current war not merely as a dispute over Ukraine but as a defining moment in its quest to reshape the global order—one in which Russia aims to play a central role, free from Western dominance and constraint.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Reuters. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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