Russia’s demands to accept truce with in Ukraine

Ukraine announced on Wednesday its agreement to a temporary 30-day ceasefire with Russia, based on a US proposal presented during talks held Tuesday in Saudi Arabia.

However, Russia’s response was ambiguous, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicating that the decision would depend on the upcoming call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia presented Washington with a list of demands as a condition for ending the war in Ukraine and restoring relations with the United States.

Although the precise details of these demands were not disclosed, the two sources confirmed that talks between Russian and US officials on these conditions took place over the past three weeks through face-to-face and virtual meetings.

Russia’s conditions are similar to those previously presented to Kyiv, Washington, and NATO, including Ukraine’s non-membership in NATO and an agreement not to deploy foreign forces on its territory.

Moscow also demanded international recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and four other regions.

In addition, Russia stressed the need to address the root causes of the conflict, most notably halting NATO’s eastward expansion, a demand Moscow has reiterated in recent years.

The US president is still awaiting Putin’s decision on whether to accept the truce, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a first step toward peace talks.

Putin’s agreement to the ceasefire remains uncertain, with the outcome of the upcoming meeting in Moscow between US envoy Steve Witkoff and the Kremlin awaiting confirmation.