Putin maintains strict demands for peace deal with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he desires "eternal peace" for Ukraine. This comes from the same leader who directed a full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country nearly five years ago and continues to refuse a comprehensive ceasefire.

Following recent discussions with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Kremlin outlined its requirements for peace as "A new, long-term architecture of indivisible security and peace." In practice, this suggests Moscow intends to reshape European security to favour Russian interests, representing a potential shift not seen since the Cold War concluded.

The Kremlin has revived its December 2021 proposal, which included "draft treaties" aimed at preventing Nato's eastward expansion. These demands sought guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia would never join the alliance and requested the withdrawal of Nato military infrastructure from eastern and central European nations that joined after the Soviet Union dissolved. Western leaders previously rejected these conditions as an unacceptable ultimatum, leading to the full-scale invasion two months later.

These "draft treaties" have now been retrieved from the geopolitical filing cabinet by the Kremlin. Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Putin, suggested that Moscow plans to "add certain new considerations" to these demands, citing Western efforts "to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia." While Western governments are unlikely to accept these terms, observers note that bringing the issue of European security into Ukraine discussions is considered a success for Moscow.

The newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda commented earlier this week that in December 2021, Russia proposed a rethink of the European security system. The report stated, "Our proposals were almost laughed at." It added, "Having secured one victory by forcing the West to think about security, our diplomats need a second by making the West heed Russia's concerns about Nato enlargement."

Kaja Kallas, the top diplomat for the EU, described Russia's call for a new security architecture as a "trap" intended to "shift attention away from a ceasefire." Kallas stated on social media that the order of negotiations is vital, asserting that, "The priority should be securing a ceasefire, followed by a peace agreement. Only then can there be discussions on Europe's wider security architecture."

Europe currently lacks a seat at the negotiating table, as Moscow has shown no interest in including European leaders, whom it has criticised for their military aid to Kyiv. Recent peace talks held in Abu Dhabi featured representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the US.

Following his meetings in Moscow, Steve Witkoff suggested that Putin had consented to the possibility of European representatives attending future peace talks. However, the Kremlin clarified on Friday that no final decision regarding European participation has been reached.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, "Once we understand their true intentions and their readiness to facilitate the peace process, then it will be possible to take a decision about dialogue on Ukraine in a wider format."