Russia on Wednesday reiterated that its conditions for ending the war in Ukraine have not changed since President Vladimir Putin set them out in June 2024: the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from key regions and the abandonment of Kyiv’s NATO ambitions.
The statement comes just two days before Putin meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska for the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021. Trump has said both sides will need to cede territory to achieve peace, a position that has raised concerns in Kyiv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with head of the Federal Taxation Service Daniil Yegorov at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 13, 2025. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Russia currently controls about 19% of Ukraine, including Crimea, all of Luhansk, more than 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
Addressing reporters, Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Alexei Fadeev dismissed speculation that Moscow might soften its stance. “Russia’s position remains unchanged, and it was voiced in this very hall just over a year ago,” he said, referring to Putin’s June 2024 speech at the foreign ministry.
Putin’s Terms for Peace
In that speech, Putin demanded Ukrainian troops leave the remaining parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson under Kyiv’s control. He also called for Ukraine to formally renounce its bid to join NATO, commit to neutrality, and guarantee the rights of Russian-speakers.
Putin further insisted that the “realities” of Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson being part of Russia must be acknowledged in international agreements. Ukraine has rejected these terms, calling them an unacceptable ultimatum.
Kyiv’s Position Unchanged
Ukraine maintains it will never recognise Russian occupation and insists on its 1991 borders, recognised by most of the international community. Based on current frontlines, Putin’s demands would require Ukraine to cede an additional 21,000 square kilometres (8,100 square miles) of territory.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (L) upon his arrival in the garden of the chancellery in Berlin to join a video conference of European leaders with the US President on the Ukraine war ahead of the summit between the US and Russian leaders, on August 13, 2025. European leaders will hold online talks with US President Donald Trump, hoping to convince him to respect Ukraine’s interests when he discusses the war with Putin in Alaska on Friday. JOHN MACDOUGALL/Pool via REUTERS
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said any territorial negotiations can only follow a ceasefire and security guarantees. He has ruled out agreeing to pull Ukrainian forces from the eastern Donbas, warning that doing so would dismantle critical defensive lines and enable further Russian advances.
The Trump-Putin meeting will test whether these entrenched positions can move any closer — or whether the war will continue under the same uncompromising terms
