Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine surrender control of the entire Donbas region, abandon its NATO aspirations, remain neutral, and bar Western troops from its territory as part of a potential peace deal, according to three sources familiar with Kremlin deliberations who spoke to Reuters.
The conditions were outlined during Putin’s closed-door three-hour meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, the first U.S.-Russia summit in more than four years. Almost the entire session, the sources said, was devoted to exploring possible compromises on Ukraine.
Speaking publicly after the talks, Putin said the meeting “would hopefully open the road to peace in Ukraine,” though neither leader disclosed specific details.
According to the sources, the new Russian proposal marks a shift from Putin’s June 2024 demands, which required Ukraine to cede four regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Under the revised terms, Moscow insists only on full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbas, while halting its front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. In exchange, Russia is reportedly prepared to relinquish small areas it holds in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk.
Putin also seeks legally binding guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, restrictions on Kyiv’s armed forces, and assurances that no Western troops would be deployed on Ukrainian soil even as peacekeepers.
Ukraine has rejected such terms. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated this week that abandoning Donbas was not an option, calling it “a matter of our country’s survival.” He stressed that NATO membership remains enshrined in Ukraine’s constitution and is its only reliable security guarantee.
Western allies have also expressed scepticism. The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany doubt Putin’s readiness for genuine peace, while NATO and the White House did not immediately comment.
Analysts caution that the Kremlin’s overture may be more performance than substance. Samuel Charap of RAND Corporation said any requirement for Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas is a “non-starter” for Kyiv. “Openness to ‘peace’ on terms categorically unacceptable to the other side could be more of a performance for Trump than a sign of true willingness to compromise,” he said.
Still, the Anchorage summit has raised hopes of a diplomatic opening. Sources close to the Kremlin described it as the “best chance for peace since the war began,” with Putin signalling readiness for a compromise. However, they warned that if Ukraine refuses to cede Donbas, the fighting will continue.
Trump, who has pledged to end what he calls the “bloodbath,” said he is arranging a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral summit. “I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended,” Trump told reporters alongside Zelenskyy in Washington.
The war, now in its fourth year, has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and left Russia in control of about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, roughly the size of the U.S. state of Ohio. Whether the latest proposals can form the basis of a lasting peace remains deeply uncertain.
Written By Rodney Mbua
