Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined four conditions for Ukraine to achieve an immediate ceasefire and potentially end the ongoing conflict. According to the Kremlin, these conditions include Ukraine adopting a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status, as well as lifting all Western sanctions on Russia.
In a speech to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, Putin stated that if Ukraine withdraws its forces from the four regions annexed by Moscow—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—he would halt military operations and initiate negotiations to end the war. Putin's demands also include Kyiv recognizing Russia’s territorial claims to these regions, never joining NATO, and refraining from obtaining nuclear weapons.
This offer, the second from the Kremlin in recent weeks, comes at a critical juncture in the nearly two-and-a-half-year conflict as Russian forces make incremental gains in the Kharkiv region. In response, Kyiv’s Western allies have escalated support by permitting Ukraine to target sites within Russia, seizing frozen Russian funds for Ukrainian aid, and preparing to deploy NATO trainers to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak quickly dismissed Putin’s proposal, calling it the "standard aggressor’s set," and criticized it as offensive to international law, indicating Russia’s leadership is incapable of assessing realities adequately.
Putin’s current demands mirror those from the early months of the war, which initially focused on annexing Crimea. However, after significant military advances, the Kremlin now insists on retaining the four annexed regions in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s conditions for ending the war include the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its post-USSR borders, an international trial for Putin for war crimes, and reparations for war damages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to advocate for this format at an international summit in Switzerland, although major world leaders, including President Joe Biden, will not attend.
