EU Demands Russian Troops Leave Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Transnistria Under Ukraine Peace Plan

The European Union is seeking the withdrawal of Russian military forces from Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and the breakaway region of Transnistria as part of a possible peace framework tied to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The proposal is outlined in a document circulated among member states by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and reviewed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on February 17.

Brussels is also calling for reciprocal concessions from Moscow. Under the proposal, any reduction in Ukrainian troop numbers would need to be matched by a comparable drawdown of Russian forces.

The list of EU conditions reportedly includes the removal of Russian nuclear weapons from Belarus, along with broader troop withdrawals from neighboring countries where Moscow maintains a military presence.

European officials are additionally pressing for war reparations, the demilitarization of occupied territories without legal recognition of Russian control, and the revocation of any amnesty for war crimes. The proposal also calls for full access for international investigators to suspected crime sites.

Regarding compensation, the document states that “Russia must compensate and contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine for damages caused to European states and European companies, as well as for environmental harm it has inflicted.”

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European diplomats themselves reportedly describe the demands as maximalist, reflecting an effort to counter what they see as Russia’s own sweeping conditions toward Ukraine.

One EU diplomat said the approach represents Europe “repaying Russia’s maximalist demands to Ukraine in kind.”

Another official stressed that “achieving peace does not depend only on whether Ukraine makes concessions. We must also discuss what Russia must do…”

Parts of the proposal are expected to be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on February 23.

Earlier, reports emerged that Russia was seeking to expand its military presence in the breakaway region of Transnistria, with plans to increase its current force from approximately 1,500 to as many as 10,000 personnel. The move coincides with a provocative military exercise simulating a Soviet-era assault on Bucharest.

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