Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to ending the full-scale war in Ukraine – but only if the West agrees to sweeping concessions, including halting NATO’s eastward expansion and lifting sanctions.
“Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price,” one senior Russian source with knowledge of top-level Kremlin thinking told Reuters.
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According to three anonymous Russian sources cited by the media outlet, the conditions reportedly include:
A written pledge by major Western powers not to expand NATO further east - effectively ruling out membership for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics.
- Ukrainian neutrality.
- Lifting of key Western sanctions.
- A solution to the fate of frozen Russian sovereign assets.
- Protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine.
According to the first source, if Putin cannot secure a peace deal on his own terms, he will seek to prove – through military escalation – that rejecting his offer would result in a “more painful” outcome later.
The Kremlin did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
No veto, says Kyiv
Ukraine has consistently rejected the notion that Moscow should have the power of veto over its aspirations to join NATO. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration did not comment on the report, but Kyiv has made clear it seeks legally binding security guarantees with enforcement power.
Spokespersons from NATO’s current 32 members, also declined to respond. In the past, the alliance has stated that it would not abandon its “open door” policy in response to Russian demands.
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More territory, less compromise
According to a second Russian source, Putin has hardened his stance on territorial concessions. The Kremlin is reportedly unwilling to retreat from any of the four Ukrainian regions it claims as part of the Russian Federation: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
“Putin has toughened his position,” the source said.
In June 2023, Putin’s publicly stated peace terms included Ukraine abandoning NATO ambitions and withdrawing from all Russian-claimed territory. Today, Russia controls most of Luhansk, over 70% of Donetsk, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. It also holds smaller portions of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions and is threatening areas of Dnipropetrovsk.
Old promises, new demands
Putin has repeatedly cited a 1990 verbal assurance from then-US Secretary of State James Baker to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand “one inch eastward.” That promise was never put in writing, and the US has since said it did not amount to a binding agreement.
Former CIA Director William J. Burns acknowledged in his memoir that such a conversation took place, but emphasized it occurred before the Soviet Union collapsed and that no legal commitments were made.
Now, Moscow allegedly wants that assurance in writing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there is currently no set timeline for drafting a memorandum with Ukraine that could lay the groundwork for a future peace agreement.
Following the May 19 phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump, Peskov acknowledged that discussions on such a document were in the early stages and that no decisions had been made about the format or location of potential future Russia-Ukraine talks.
He said the memorandum would be developed jointly and emphasized that there are no deadlines for its preparation, as the process would involve an exchange of draft proposals and complex negotiations.
Putin, speaking after the call, had said Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on outlining the key principles for a possible settlement. However, Peskov reiterated Russia’s position that the so-called “root causes” of the war must be addressed as part of any lasting resolution.
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