Putin demands halt to NATO expansion for Ukraine peace deal

According to three informed Russian sources, President Vladimir Putin is willing to end the war in Ukraine under strict conditions, including a formal written commitment from Western powers to stop NATO’s eastward expansion and the lifting of certain sanctions on Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long expressed his desire to end the conflict Europe’s deadliest since World War II has grown increasingly critical of Putin. On Tuesday, Trump warned the Russian president against avoiding ceasefire talks while Russian forces advance in Ukraine.

Putin, after a two-hour conversation with Trump last week, agreed to collaborate with Ukraine on a memorandum outlining a possible peace framework and ceasefire timeline. However, Russia is still drafting its version and has not given a timeline for completion. Meanwhile, Kyiv and European leaders accuse Moscow of intentionally delaying negotiations to gain military ground in eastern Ukraine.

A senior Kremlin insider noted that Putin is open to peace but not under any terms. The sources revealed that Putin insists on a documented guarantee that NATO will not expand to include Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, or other former Soviet republics. He also wants Ukraine to adopt a neutral stance, partial sanctions relief, the unfreezing of Russian assets in the West, and guarantees for the rights of Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine.

One source emphasized that if a peace deal on Putin’s terms fails, he will attempt to force acceptance through military success. The Kremlin did not comment on the report, but has frequently stated that peace requires addressing what it sees as the fundamental causes of the war namely NATO expansion and Western support for Ukraine.

Ukraine maintains it should have the sovereign right to pursue NATO membership and calls for strong security assurances to deter future Russian aggression. Neither the Ukrainian government nor NATO responded to requests for comment. NATO has consistently upheld its open-door policy, despite Moscow's objections.

Putin initiated the invasion in February 2022, following eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine. Russia currently holds nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory. Despite recent gains, both countries are incurring heavy losses in personnel and resources. Economic concerns in Russia are also mounting, with labor shortages, inflation-driven interest rates, and declining oil prices affecting the wartime economy.

Though Trump has previously touted a positive relationship with Putin and his belief that the Russian leader seeks peace, he recently criticized Putin’s actions on social media, suggesting he had gone “absolutely CRAZY” after launching a massive airstrike on Ukraine.

Sources say that Putin, if given a strategic military opportunity, would push further into Ukraine and believes Russia can sustain the war despite Western sanctions. He is now reportedly more rigid regarding territorial concessions, holding firm to Russia’s claims over four Ukrainian regions. Last year, Putin had demanded Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and withdraw from these areas to end the war.

Currently, Russia controls nearly all of Luhansk, over 70% of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, in addition to Crimea and parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk. Western leaders continue to condemn the invasion as an attempt to redraw borders by force. Putin, however, sees the war as a decisive moment to challenge Western dominance and restore Russia’s regional influence after NATO's post-Soviet expansion