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Moscow has handed over a list of requirements to Washington, which, in the Kremlin’s view, should become the basis for resolving the war in Ukraine and resetting Russian-American relations. This was reported by Reuters, noting that most of these points have already been mentioned in Russian statements earlier.
What does Russia demand?
According to Reuters, the list of conditions includes:
– Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, which would have secured the country’s neutral status;
– Prohibit the deployment of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine;
– International recognition of the annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions;
– “Eliminating the causes of the conflict”, which, according to the Kremlin, includes stopping NATO’s eastward expansion;
– Granting Russian the status of an official language in Ukraine;
– The change of power in Kyiv, namely the removal of Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the presidency.
Demand or manoeuvre?
It is not yet clear whether this is a final ultimatum or just the initial conditions for possible negotiations. However, most of the points remain completely unacceptable to Ukraine and its Western partners.
Kyiv has repeatedly stated that no peace agreement that includes territorial concessions to Russia is possible. The United States and NATO have also made it clear that their support for Ukraine will last as long as it takes for it to win.
What signal is the Kremlin sending to the West?
The transfer of such a list of demands may be aimed not only at Washington, but also at European capitals, where war fatigue is growing. The Kremlin is probably trying to form an alternative diplomatic agenda and force the West to at least discuss the possibility of a “settlement”.
However, the key question remains: is the West even ready to consider conditions that actually mean Ukraine’s surrender? So far, all indications are that this “peace plan” will remain only a part of Moscow’s diplomatic rhetoric.
