In a stunning geopolitical move sending shockwaves from Washington to Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly laid out his terms for ending the war in Ukraine, framing it as a direct “offer” to a potential future US administration led by Donald Trump.
The message, delivered just ahead of a major peace summit in Switzerland to which Russia was not invited, is being seen as both a peace overture and a calculated piece of political theatre aimed at influencing the upcoming US presidential election.
What Does Putin Want? Russia‘s Four Key Demands
Putin’s “deal” is less a negotiation and more of a stark ultimatum. The Kremlin’s demands, if met, would fundamentally reshape Ukraine and the security landscape of Eastern Europe. His conditions are clear:
1. No NATO Membership: First and foremost, Putin demands that Ukraine permanently abandon its ambition to join the NATO military alliance. Moscow has long viewed NATO’s eastward expansion as an existential threat and insists on a constitutionally enshrined neutral status for Ukraine.
2. Ceding Sovereign Territory: The most contentious condition is the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia illegally annexed these territories in 2022, and despite not controlling them fully, Putin demands Ukraine cede them entirely—an area equivalent to nearly a fifth of the country.
3. ‘Demilitarization’ and Neutrality: Putin reiterated his calls for the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine. While “denazification” is widely dismissed as propaganda, “demilitarization” implies severe, long-term restrictions on the size and capability of Ukraine’s armed forces, leaving it vulnerable to future aggression.
4. Lifting of All Sanctions: Finally, the proposal is contingent on the West lifting all economic sanctions imposed on Russia since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Why Is Putin’s Offer Aimed at Trump?
The timing and intended audience of this “offer” are no coincidence. By bypassing the current Biden administration and appealing directly to Donald Trump, Putin is playing a shrewd and divisive game. Trump has repeatedly boasted he could end the war in “24 hours” and has expressed skepticism about the level of US aid to Ukraine.
Putin is essentially testing this claim, presenting a ready-made “deal” that a transactional leader like Trump might find appealing. This move is designed to sow discord within the Western alliance and inject the war directly into the American election debate, suggesting to voters that a swift end to the costly conflict is possible—but only under a different president.
How Did Ukraine Respond? A ‘Complete Sham’
The reaction from Ukraine was as swift as it was predictable. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office immediately slammed the proposal, calling it an “ultimatum” and a “complete sham” designed to mislead the international community.
Ukrainian officials have been unwavering: peace cannot come at the cost of surrendering their territory and sovereignty. For Kyiv, Putin’s offer is not a path to peace, but a roadmap to capitulation, underscoring the immense chasm that still exists between the two sides.
Ultimately, Putin’s “offer” is a high-stakes gamble. It’s a proposal he knows Kyiv and its Western allies will reject. In making it public, he attempts to paint them as the ones unwilling to make peace, while signaling that Russia‘s war aims have not changed and that it believes time—and a potential change in the White House—is on its side.
