What Are Ukraine’s Key Peace Conditions Ahead of the Alaska Talks?

The talks in Alaska will take place without Ukraine. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already outlined several points he considers critical to any agreement with Russia. These were discussed in Europe during a meeting in Berlin with US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and other European leaders. Trump joined via videoconference.

“Our desire for peace and our position together with our partners is united,” Zelenskyy said.

The European leaders are determined to help the August 15 summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska to be a success, said Merz.

“Today, Europe, the US, and NATO have strengthened the common ground for Ukraine,” said the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. “We will remain in close coordination. Nobody wants peace more than us, a just and lasting peace.”

Ceasefire and security guarantees first

The starting point for the entire negotiating track must be a ceasefire and a lasting peace. Ukraine’s goal is to stop hostilities, the attacks on Ukrainian cities, and the killings. Kyiv stresses that for any talks to be even remotely substantive, the next stage must not be about a ceasefire for three days or thirty days, but about a durable peace that both sides will honor—stopping both airstrikes and ground operations.

Only after that will it be possible to move on to territorial discussions.

“We support what President Trump wanted—a ceasefire, and then sit down at the negotiating table and talk about everything else,” Zelenskyy told reporters.

Merz, who organized the online gathering of European leaders with Trump, also clarified that negotiations must follow a “correct order”: first, a cease‑fire must be achieved, followed by a framework agreement.

Security guarantees will be a crucial step for successful talks. Ukraine sees itself as part of the European community and has spent the past three years preparing to join the EU, meeting all the necessary integration requirements.

Another goal is NATO membership, which Ukraine also seeks in order to secure defense guarantees. “Russia cannot have any right of veto on this matter,” Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, Ukraine seeks continued military assistance to strengthen and modernize its armed forces. Experience has shown that the best defense is a strong military capable of deterring a larger enemy army. Merz assured that support for Ukraine’s military will continue. Trump has also voiced support for security guarantees.

If these two points are achieved, Ukraine is ready to sit down for talks on territories. Ukraine insists it will not abandon any regions currently occupied by Russian forces, including positions in Donetsk region. The issue of territory is enshrined in Ukraine’s Constitution.

“The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy. “No one will deviate from this—and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”

POWs, reparations, and sanctions

Sticking to its established negotiation line—in place, with pauses, since spring 2025—Ukraine insists on the full return of prisoners of war and children abducted from the temporarily occupied territories, totaling about 20,000. This summer saw several large prisoner exchanges, and with international support, including from Middle Eastern countries, abducted children have been returned to Ukraine. Kyiv’s aim is to turn these ad-hoc efforts into a permanent process. Throughout the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has initiated exchanges, while Russia has periodically blocked the process.

Finally, Russia must pay for the war it started. Ukraine demands that Russia pay at least $500 billion for the destruction it has inflicted on Ukrainian territory and the economy. This includes damage to civilian and energy infrastructure, transportation arteries, entire cities, agricultural losses, and environmental harm. Russia has destroyed hundreds of villages and wiped dozens of once-thriving cities off the map. 

Avdiivka—a once vibrant town in the Donetsk region—had up to 40,000 residents before the war—today, it has none. Bakhmut, once home to more than 83,000, is now a ghost town. Ukraine insists that Moscow must be held financially accountable.

The Ukrainian government also demands that sanctions against Russia remain in place. These measures weaken Russia’s economy and undermine its military-industrial complex. It is particularly important to maintain sanctions on Russia’s key sector—energy—by limiting its ability to sell oil and gas, which finances the war against Ukraine. Sanctions on Russian oil have already contributed to a budget deficit and depleted the country’s National Wealth Fund.

And finally—a point that should be self-evident—Ukraine insists that any talks about Ukraine must include Ukraine at the table.

“Russia has more weapons and more troops, but also at least three times more losses,” said Zelenskyy. “His words are a bluff. I want all our partners to understand this. Our joint pressure will allow us to press Putin.”

European leaders stressed that no decisions on Ukraine should be made without Kyiv, proposing a possible three-way summit with Zelenskyy, Trump, and Putin. Zelenskyy further explained that, prior to the conversation with Trump, Ukraine and European partners had agreed upon principles articulated by Merz.

The preferred format of talks: “everything related to Ukraine must be discussed only with Ukraine’s participation,” Zelenskyy said. “We must prepare a three‑party conversation format.”

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