President Vladimir Putin is seeking a written pledge from Western powers to halt NATO's eastward expansion and lift a portion of sanctions on Russia as key conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, according to three Russian sources familiar with internal Kremlin discussions.
The terms, described as part of a memorandum under development between Moscow and Kyiv, emerged following a two-hour conversation between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump last week. Russia says it is currently drafting its version of the document but has not provided a timeline for completion.
"Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price," one senior Russian source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The source added that if Putin concludes a deal is not possible on his terms, "peace tomorrow will be even more painful," signaling Russia would escalate military operations.
The three sources said Moscow is demanding a written commitment from major Western powers to halt NATO enlargement - effectively barring future membership for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics. Additional conditions include Ukrainian neutrality, partial sanctions relief, a resolution over frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West, and guarantees for Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine.
Kyiv and Western governments have accused Russia of using peace overtures to buy time while its military advances in the eastern regions. Ukraine has rejected the idea that Russia should hold a veto over its aspirations to join NATO. A spokesperson for the 32-member alliance did not respond to questions, but NATO has previously said it would not change its "open door" policy under Moscow's pressure.
Trump, who has positioned himself as a potential broker of peace, publicly warned Tuesday that Putin was "playing with fire" by rejecting ceasefire discussions while launching intensified attacks. On Sunday, Trump posted on social media that Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" after Russia conducted a massive aerial assault on Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not commented on the reported demands. However, it has consistently said any peace deal must address what it calls the "root causes" of the war - a term often used to refer to NATO expansion and Western military support for Kyiv.
A second Russian source said Putin has grown less flexible on territorial issues, demanding full Ukrainian withdrawal from the four eastern regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson - that Moscow claims. "Putin has toughened his position," the source said.
Russia currently controls nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Despite high casualties and economic strain, Moscow believes it can sustain a long war, sources said. Western intelligence agencies have also reported that the Kremlin misjudged the resilience of Ukraine's defense and underestimated the scope of sanctions imposed by the West.
Putin continues to frame the war as a geopolitical struggle against NATO encroachment. At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders said Ukraine and Georgia would eventually become members. Ukraine amended its constitution in 2019 to codify its commitment to joining both NATO and the EU.
Russia's 2021 draft agreement with NATO called for the alliance to "refrain from any further enlargement," but U.S. and NATO officials rejected it, saying Moscow could not veto membership decisions.
Finland joined NATO in 2023, followed by Sweden in 2024, in direct response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
