Russia Demands NATO Exclusion for Ukraine in Peace Deal Talks

• Russia demands NATO exclude Ukraine and seeks Ukraine’s neutrality in any peace deal.
• Trump and Putin expected to discuss ceasefire amid ongoing U.S.-Russia diplomacy.
• Zelensky accuses Putin of sabotaging ceasefire talks as conflict nears third year.

Russia will insist that Ukraine remain neutral and be permanently excluded from NATO membership as part of any future peace agreement, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.

“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Grushko told the Russian news outlet Izvestia. “These guarantees must include Ukraine’s neutral status and a refusal by NATO to admit Ukraine into the alliance.”

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His remarks come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war in Ukraine, with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to hold talks in the coming days.

Washington and Kyiv have reportedly agreed to propose a 30-day ceasefire to Moscow. While Putin has publicly supported a temporary halt to hostilities, he has attached several tough conditions, raising doubts about the viability of an agreement.

One major point of contention is Russia’s western Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion last August and reportedly seized some territory. Putin has since claimed Russian forces have regained full control of Kursk and said Ukrainian troops there “have been isolated.”

He has also expressed skepticism about how any ceasefire could be effectively monitored along the volatile eastern frontlines.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of attempting to “sabotage” diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire.

Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, told CNN that a call between Trump and Putin is expected “this week.”

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During his election campaign, Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” of his new administration. Less than a month after taking office, he held a 90-minute phone call with Putin to discuss the possibility of immediate negotiations.

When asked about the status of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, Witkoff declined to comment. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

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