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Putin Demands NATO Pullback and Neutral Ukraine in Peace Deal, Reuters Reports
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not prepared to end the war against Ukraine at any cost and is instead pushing for sweeping geopolitical concessions, including a written guarantee barring NATO expansion, according to Reuters citing three senior Russian sources familiar with ongoing diplomatic discussions on May 28.
According to the sources, Putin wants Western nations to formally commit to excluding Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova from future NATO membership, effectively redrawing the post-Cold War security order in Europe.
He is also demanding neutral status for Ukraine and guarantees for the rights of Russian-speaking populations within the country.
In addition, the Kremlin is seeking partial sanctions relief and the release of frozen Russian Central Bank assets held by Western nations.
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“If Putin realizes he can’t achieve a peace deal on his terms, he will aim to demonstrate that tomorrow will be even more painful for Ukraine,” one of the sources told Reuters.
The source noted that the Kremlin believes Russia can sustain a long war, regardless of Western sanctions or economic consequences. Another insider described a hardening stance in Moscow, saying Putin has toughened his position on territorial control and now demands that Ukrainian forces fully withdraw from four partially occupied regions: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated there is currently no indication that Putin and his inner circle are seriously pursuing a peaceful resolution to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“From the information gathered by our intelligence and from open sources, we see that Putin and his team do not plan to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
