Erin Banco and Jonathan Landay
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia has made a series of demands to the United States to end the war with Ukraine and reset relations with Washington.
It is unclear what exactly Moscow contains on its list, or whether it is willing to engage in peace talks with Kiev before accepting it. The people said Russian and U.S. officials have discussed the terms in face-to-face and virtual conversations over the past three weeks.
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They describe the Kremlin terminology as broad, similar to the previously proposed Ukrainian, the United States and NATO requirements.
These earlier clauses include NATO membership in Kiev, an agreement that does not deploy foreign forces in Ukraine, and international claims against President Vladimir Putin that Crimea and the four provinces belong to Russia.
In recent years, Russia has also demanded that the United States and NATO resolve the “root causes” of its so-called war, including NATO’s eastern expansion.
U.S. President Donald Trump is waiting for Putin’s words to say whether he agrees with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tuesday that he would accept the first step in peace talks.
Putin’s commitment to a potential ceasefire agreement remains uncertain, and details are yet to be completed.
Some U.S. officials, lawmakers and experts fear that former KGB official Putin would truce to strengthen what they say is an effort to split the United States, Ukraine and Europe and undermine any negotiations.
The Russian Embassy in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s meeting in Saudi Arabia this week between U.S. and Ukrainian officials was constructive and said it could use a 30-day ceasefire with Russia to draft a broader peace deal.
Over the past two decades, Moscow has made many of the same demands, with some in formal negotiations with the United States and Europe.
Recently, Moscow discussed them with the Biden administration at a series of meetings in late 2021 and early 2022, with thousands of Russian troops sitting on the Ukrainian border waiting for orders to invade.
They include requirements that will limit our military operations from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.
According to U.S. government documents reviewed by Reuters and several former U.S. officials, while rejecting some clauses, the Biden administration attempted to stop the invasion by interacting with Russia in order to interact with Russia.
The effort failed, with Russia attacking on February 24, 2022.
In recent weeks, U.S. and Russian officials said the draft agreement discussed by Washington, Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul could be the starting point for peace talks. The agreement was never passed.
In these negotiations, Russia asked Ukraine to abandon NATO ambitions and accept permanent nuclear-free status. It also requires a veto power against countries that want to help in countries that are war.
The Trump administration has not explained how it negotiates with Moscow. The two sides had two separate dialogues: one on resetting U.S.-Russia relations and the other on the Ukrainian peace agreement.
The government seems to be divided on how to proceed.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Middle East envoy, discussed with Moscow on CNN last month, described the Istanbul talks as “convincing and substantive negotiations” and said they could be “a guiding authority to complete the peace agreement.”
But Keith Kellogg, the retired Trump’s highest Ukrainian and Russian envoy, told the Foreign Relations Committee last week that he did not see the Istanbul agreement as a starting point.
“I think we have to develop something completely new,” he said.
Old demand
Experts say Russia’s demands may be aimed not only to reach a final agreement with Ukraine, but also to be a basis for aligning with Western supporters.
Over the past two decades, Russia has put forward similar demands on the United States – which will limit the West’s ability to establish a stronger military presence in Europe and potentially allow Putin to expand his influence on the African continent.
Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said: “There is no indication that the Russians are willing to make any concessions. “The demand has simply not changed. I don’t think they are really interested in a peaceful or meaningful ceasefire. ”
Senior Biden administration officials travelled with Russian counterparts about three requirements for the Kremlin in an effort to stop the looming Russian invasion by U.S. intelligence officials, according to U.S. government documents reviewed by Reuters.
These documents show that this is a ban on military exercises by us and other NATO forces on the territory of the new alliance member and prohibits the deployment of US mid-range missiles in Europe or Russia’s territory.
The documents show that the Russians also attempted to ban military exercises from the United States or NATO from Eastern Europe to the Caucasus and Central Asia.
“These are Russian demands since 1945,” said former Pentagon official Kori Schake. “With the actions of the Trump administration in recent weeks, Europeans are not only afraid that we will abandon them, they are worried that we will join the enemy.”
(Reports by Erin Banco of New York and Jonathan Landay of Washington; Editors by Don Durfee and Diane Craft)
