Russia has submitted a list of demands to the US to conclude an agreement to end the war against Ukraine and restore relations with Washington. It is not clear what exactly Moscow has included in its list and whether it is ready to engage in peace talks with Kyiv before accepting them. Russian and US officials have discussed the terms in face-to-face and virtual talks over the past three weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter, on Wednesday, the 12th of March, reports Reuters.
They described the Kremlin’s conditions as broad and similar to demands it has previously made for Ukraine, the US and NATO.
These previous conditions cover keeping Kyiv out of NATO, agreeing not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine and international recognition of the occupied territories.
US President Donald Trump is awaiting Putin’s announcement on whether he will agree to the 30-day ceasefire, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described on Tuesday as a first step towards peace talks.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCED THAT UNITED STATES OFFICIALS TRAVELLED TO RUSSIA ON WEDNESDAY TO DISCUSS THE U.S.- UKRAINE AGREEMENT.
“Hopefully we will be able to get a ceasefire from Russia,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I have received some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation.”
Trump said that a ceasefire would be good for Russia, but pointed out that it could also have many negative consequences for Russia, without elaborating.
Putin’s commitment to a possible ceasefire agreement remains unclear as details have not yet been finalised.
On Tuesday, Putin, dressed in unusual military attire, visited the Kursk command post for the first time since it was occupied by Ukraine. There, he urged his forces to dislodge the Ukrainians “as soon as possible”.
“I count on the fact that all the combat tasks of our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” he said.
Putin added that the captured Ukrainian fighters would be “treated as terrorists in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation”.
MOSCOW HAS FOR YEARS REPEATEDLY DEMANDED LIMITED MILITARY ACTIVITIES BY THE US AND NATO IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA.
In late 2021 and early 2022, when Russian troops were gathering at the Ukrainian border, these demands were discussed with the Biden administration. While the US rejected some of them, it cooperated with Russia on others to try to prevent an invasion, US government documents show, but the talks failed, and Russia attacked.
US and Russian officials have said in recent weeks that the draft agreement that Washington, Kyiv and Moscow discussed in Istanbul in 2022 could be a starting point for peace talks.
In those talks, Russia demanded that Ukraine renounce its NATO ambitions and agree to permanent nuclear-free country status. It also demanded a veto over the actions of countries wishing to help Ukraine in the event of war.
The Trump administration has not clarified its approach to the talks with Moscow, which include separate discussions on US-Russia relations and the Ukraine peace agreement.
U.S. OFFICIALS APPEAR DIVIDED.
US envoy Steve Witkoff called the Istanbul talks “compelling and substantive” and a possible “roadmap” to peace. However, Trump’s top Ukraine-Russia envoy, General Keith Kellogg, rejected the deal, saying “I think we need to come up with something completely new.”
Experts point out that Russia’s demands are not only related to Ukraine, but also to building agreements with the West. Moscow has for years demanded a limited Western military presence in Eastern Europe, where Russia could expand its influence.
“There is no sign that the Russians are ready to make concessions,” said former US intelligence analyst Angela Stent.
“THE DEMANDS HAVE NOT CHANGED AT ALL. I DON’T THINK THEY’RE REALLY INTERESTED IN PEACE OR A MEANINGFUL CEASEFIRE.”
To prevent a Russian invasion, Biden’s top officials discussed with the Kremlin three Moscow demands: a ban on NATO military exercises in new member states, a ban on US missile deployments near Russia and a limit on exercises from eastern Europe to Central Asia, according to US documents.
“These are the same Russian demands that have been made since 1945,” said former Pentagon official Kori Schake. She warned that the recent actions of the Trump administration have made Europeans fear not only being abandoned but also that “we have joined the enemy”.