ISW assessed Putin's demands for upcoming negotiations.

The ISW assessed Putin's demands for future negotiations

The leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, continues to maintain his maximalist pre-war demands regarding the isolation of Ukraine and intends to pursue these demands during any potential negotiations with Western leaders aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

This is stated in a report by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Previously, the Financial Times reported, citing its sources, that Putin would adhere to his pre-war demands in any negotiations – preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and compelling NATO to abandon the deployment of troops in Eastern Europe to ensure "the absence of threats to Russia."

It is noted that this resembles the ultimatum Putin presented to the U.S. in December 2021 prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At that time, Putin demanded that NATO commit to not accepting Ukraine and other countries as new members; that the U.S. adhere to a ban on NATO expansion; that NATO refrain from deploying armed forces in countries that became NATO members after May 1997; a prohibition on any NATO military activity in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia; and a ban on the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in areas that could reach Russian territory.

Moreover, ISW emphasizes that Putin has utilized and amplified this narrative to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Analysts point out that between the Bucharest Declaration of 2008, which promised NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia, and 2022, NATO did not undertake any significant actions to expand in Eastern Europe or promote Ukraine's future membership in NATO.

"Putin's demands put forth in December 2021 clearly extend beyond Ukraine and aim at rolling back NATO... Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on January 10 that the Kremlin is ready to negotiate with Trump without any 'preconditions,' but ISW continues to believe that no negotiations will lead to a meaningful or sustainable peace as long as Putin remains committed to his pre-war demands for Ukraine's complete capitulation and the weakening of NATO," the report states.