Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he wants a peace deal that benefits Russia as the war in Ukraine continues.
There are ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which Russia has been invading for three years.
Ukraine hopes that any agreement will include security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks. However, reaching a deal is complicated, and Putin has spoken about what he expects from it.
According to the BBC, while speaking to mothers and widows of Russian soldiers, Putin said:
“We need to achieve a kind of peace that works for us and keeps our country safe for a long time. We don’t want anything that belongs to others, but we won’t give up anything that belongs to us. The goal is to ensure Russia’s stability, peace, and security.”
Since Russia has taken Ukrainian land, what Putin considers to “belong to Russia” is very different from how Ukraine sees it.
When someone told him that Russia should not “give in to anyone,” Putin responded, “We are not going to do that.” This suggests he is unwilling to make compromises in any peace negotiations. Instead, Ukraine may be the one expected to make concessions, possibly by giving up territory.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Kremlin rejects a temporary halt in fighting. She stated that “solid agreements on a final settlement are needed,” and without them, any pause in the conflict would be “unacceptable.”
Russia continues to attack Ukraine, and the situation for Ukraine has worsened recently. The new Trump administration in the US has paused military aid to Ukraine, with officials saying Trump is focused on “peace.” However, for Ukraine, peace on Russia’s terms could mean surrendering after three years of fighting.
Russia welcomed the US decision to pause support. Additionally, under Trump’s leadership, the US has also stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine’s military.
European countries are now discussing how they can help make up for the gap left by the US.
