August 23, 2025 | 04:00 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine hand over the entire Donbas region, cancel its plan to join NATO, remain neutral, and ban the presence of Western troops in the country as a condition for peace. Three sources familiar with the Kremlin's view say that these conditions are at the core of Russia's proposal to end the war.
Previously, Putin discussed these conditions when meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, August 16, 2024. The meeting marked the first Russia-U.S. summit in over four years. After the meeting, Putin said he hoped it would pave the way for peace in Ukraine.
Changes in Putin's Demands
As reported by CNA, Putin's new proposal differs from the conditions he put forward in June 2024. At that time, Moscow demanded that Ukraine hand over four provinces claimed by Russia: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine rejected this as an equivalent to surrender.
In the latest proposal, Putin is only demanding that Ukraine withdraw from the remaining territories in Donbas still controlled by Kyiv. In return, the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson will be frozen. It is also said that Russia is prepared to relinquish some of its territory in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. U.S. estimates indicate that Russia currently controls approximately 88 percent of the Donbas region and 73 percent of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Ukraine's Rejection
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly rejected the proposal. "If we're talking about simply withdrawing from the east, we cannot do that. It is a matter of our country's survival, involving the strongest defensive lines," he said, as quoted by the Kyiv Independent, Thursday, August 21, 2024.
Ukraine's constitution also defines NATO membership as a strategic goal. "We will not leave the Donbas. We cannot do that," Zelensky said, quoted by Al Jazeera. He emphasized that decisions regarding NATO are not Russia's concern.
U.S. and NATO's Stance
The White House and NATO have not yet responded to Moscow's proposal. Trump stated his desire to end the Russia-Ukraine war. He said he was arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, to be followed by a trilateral summit with the United States. "I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended. I feel confident we are going to get it solved," said Trump.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky, but that all issues must first be formulated. He also questioned Zelensky's authority to sign the agreement as his official term ended in May 2024.
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