Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly demanded that Ukraine relinquish control over eastern Donbas, abandon NATO membership, and prevent the presence of Western troops on its territory. According to Reuters, three sources close to the Kremlin stated that if Kyiv does not agree to these conditions, the war will continue.
Putin met on Friday in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in over four years, spending nearly three hours discussing potential compromises regarding Ukraine, according to sources who spoke anonymously.
Russian sources indicate that Putin has softened his territorial demands compared to June 2024, when he insisted Ukraine cede four regions claimed by Moscow—Donetsk and Luhansk in the east (Donbas), and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south. In the new proposal, Putin maintains that Ukraine must fully withdraw from the parts of Donbas under its control, while Moscow would retain the current frontlines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
The United States estimates that Russia controls approximately 88% of Donbas and 73% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, Reuters reports.
Moscow is reportedly willing to hand over parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions to Ukraine if an agreement is reached. Putin continues to demand a formal commitment that Ukraine will never join NATO, along with a legally binding promise from the alliance that it will not expand eastward.
Additionally, he seeks limits on the Ukrainian military and an agreement that no Western troops will be stationed in Ukraine as peacekeepers, according to sources close to the Kremlin.
