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Russia lays out demands for talks with US on Ukraine

Russia has reportedly presented the U.S. with a list of demands for a deal to end its war against Ukraine and reset relations with Washington, according to two people familiar with the matter.

It is not clear what exactly Moscow included on its list or whether it is willing to engage in peace talks with Kyiv prior to their acceptance, however, Russian and American officials discussed the terms during in-person and virtual conversations over the last three weeks, according to a report by Reuters.

The report describes the Kremlin’s terms as broad and similar to demands it previously has presented to Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO and they include no NATO membership for Kyiv, an agreement not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine and international recognition of President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Crimea and four provinces belong to Russia.

Russia, in recent years, also has demanded the U.S. and NATO address what it has called the “root causes” of the war, including NATO’s eastward expansion.

U.S. President Donald Trump is awaiting a response from Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he would accept as a first step toward peace talks.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed this week’s meeting in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Ukrainian officials as constructive, and said a potential 30-day ceasefire with Russia could be used to draft a broader peace deal.