Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined a set of conditions he says must be met for the war in Ukraine to come to an end. Speaking on Wednesday (May 28), Putin demanded a formal halt to NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe, a partial lifting of Western sanctions, and guarantees for the protection of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine.According to international news reports, Putin is also insisting on full Russian control over four territories in eastern Ukraine already claimed by Moscow. These demands come as Russian forces continue their military push in the region, signaling that the Kremlin sees this conflict as a turning point in its long-standing tensions with the West.The Russian leader argues that NATO expansion violated past agreements, claiming that the U.S. deceived Moscow following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. At that time, then–U.S. Secretary of State James Baker allegedly promised Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not move further east.
Putin’s renewed stance, particularly regarding territorial claims, reinforces Moscow’s position that any peace agreement must include recognition of Russian authority over the disputed areas. With the conflict intensifying, the Kremlin is pushing for a written commitment from Western powers as a precondition for serious negotiations.
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