Russia lays out demands for talks with US on Ukraine, sources say

Russia's demands mirror previous conditions presented to the US, sources say. Reuters reports that conditions include barring NATO membership for Ukraine and no foreign troops in the country, while Putin's commitment to peace talks remains uncertain.

Russia has provided the United States with a list of demands for ending its war in Ukraine and resetting diplomatic relations, according to two individuals familiar with the matter.

It remains unclear what specific conditions Moscow has included or whether it is willing to engage in talks with Kyiv before their acceptance. Russian and American officials have discussed the terms over in-person and virtual meetings during the past three weeks, the sources said.

The Kremlin's demands are reportedly broad and similar to previous conditions it has presented to Ukraine, the US, and NATO.

These earlier conditions included barring Ukraine from NATO membership, prohibiting the deployment of foreign troops in the country, and internationally recognizing Vladimir Putin’s claim over Crimea and four occupied regions.

Additionally, Russia has insisted that the US and NATO address what it calls the "root causes" of the war, particularly NATO’s expansion eastward.

US President Donald Trump is awaiting a response from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to accept as a first step toward broader peace negotiations.

Putin's willingness to commit to such an agreement remains uncertain, with key details still to be finalized.

Some US officials, lawmakers, and analysts fear that Putin could use a ceasefire to further divide the US, Ukraine, and Europe while undermining negotiations.

The Russian embassy in Washington and the White House have not yet responded to requests for comment.

In Kyiv, Zelenskyy described this week's meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia as constructive, stating that a potential ceasefire with Russia could serve as a foundation for drafting a broader peace agreement.

Moscow has reiterated many of these same demands over the past two decades, some of which have been included in past negotiations with the US and Europe.

Most recently, these demands were discussed with the Biden administration in a series of meetings in late 2021 and early 2022, as tens of thousands of Russian troops massed at Ukraine’s border before launching the full-scale invasion.

These discussions included conditions that would restrict US and NATO military operations from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.

While rejecting some of these terms, the Biden administration engaged with Moscow on several points in an attempt to prevent the invasion, according to US government documents reviewed by Reuters and multiple former officials.

However, the effort failed, and Russia launched its invasion on February 24, 2022.

US and Russian officials in recent weeks have pointed to a draft agreement discussed between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow in Istanbul in 2022 as a possible foundation for new peace talks. That agreement was never finalized.

During those talks, Russia demanded that Ukraine renounce its NATO aspirations and adopt a permanent non-nuclear status. Moscow also sought a veto over any military assistance provided to Ukraine by other countries in the event of a future conflict.

The Trump administration has not publicly outlined its approach to negotiations with Moscow. Washington and Moscow are currently engaged in two separate discussions—one concerning US-Russia relations and another focusing on a peace settlement for Ukraine.

There appears to be internal disagreement within the Trump administration on how to proceed.

Last month, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is helping lead discussions with Russia, described the 2022 Istanbul negotiations as "coherent and substantive," suggesting that they could serve as a foundation for a new peace deal.

However, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s top Ukraine and Russia envoy, recently told the Council on Foreign Relations that he does not view the Istanbul talks as a viable starting point.

"I think we need to develop something entirely new," Kellogg said.

Moscow’s long-standing demands

Experts suggest that Russia’s demands are not just aimed at shaping an agreement with Ukraine but also serve as a framework for its future relations with Western powers.

For the past two decades, Moscow has put forward similar conditions to the US, seeking to curb the West’s military presence in Europe while expanding Putin’s influence on the continent.

“There’s no indication that the Russians are willing to make any concessions,” said Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former US intelligence analyst on Russia. “The demands remain unchanged. I don’t think they are truly interested in peace or a meaningful ceasefire.”

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden administration officials engaged in discussions with Moscow on three key demands, according to US government documents reviewed by Reuters.

These included banning military exercises by US and NATO forces in newly admitted NATO countries, prohibiting the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles in Europe or other locations near Russian territory, and restricting NATO military drills in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

“These are the same Russian demands that have been made since 1945,” said Kori Schake, a former Pentagon official and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

“With the actions of the Trump administration in recent weeks, Europeans are not just afraid that we are abandoning them—they are worried we’ve joined the enemy.”