Putin’s demands for Ukraine peace: Donbas withdrawal, no NATO, no foreign forces

Now, the Russian president is said to be focusing only on Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk, while halting the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia currently controls about 88 per cent of the Donbas and 73 per cent of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, according to US estimates.

The sources also told Reuters that Moscow is willing to return small territories it holds in Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk as part of a deal.

Beyond territory, Putin’s terms include binding guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO, limits on Ukraine’s military, and assurances that no Western troops will be deployed in the country. Reuters reported that the Kremlin also seeks a pledge from NATO not to expand further eastwards.

Kyiv rejects surrender

Ukraine has dismissed similar proposals in the past. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated last week that surrendering territory was not an option. “If we’re talking about simply withdrawing from the east, we cannot do that. It is a matter of our country’s survival,” he told reporters in Kyiv, reported Reuters.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the latest reports.

Trump has said he wants to be remembered as a “peacemaker president” and told reporters he believes Putin is serious about ending the war. “I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended,” Trump said beside Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday. “I feel confident we are going to get it solved.”

Despite talk of compromise, European leaders remain doubtful. Britain, France and Germany have voiced skepticism that Putin is genuinely prepared to end the conflict, which has killed and injured hundreds of thousands since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

(With inputs from Reuters)