The Institute for the Study of War reported on 12 February that Vladimir Putin shows no interest in making concessions during potential peace negotiations over Ukraine.
The assessment follows phone conversations between Donald Trump and both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 12 February.
Trump announced immediate negotiations would begin after his call with Putin. The Kremlin stated Putin agreed that “a long-term settlement could be achieved through peaceful negotiations.”
However, Putin emphasized addressing the “root causes” of the war. ISW interprets this as Russia’s stance on NATO expansion. “Russian officials have explicitly defined the ‘root causes’ of the war as NATO’s alleged violation of commitments not to advance eastward in areas near Russia’s border,” ISW reported.
Ukraine’s NATO bid is a major sticking point in potential negotiations with Russia. Russia demands Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations, while Ukraine sees membership as a solid security guarantee against future Russian aggression and a way to strengthen its defense capabilities.
During the call with Ukrainian President, Trump and Zelenskyy discussed peace opportunities and Ukraine’s drone capabilities. They agreed to plan future meetings.
Russian officials rejected Zelenskyy’s proposal to exchange territories.
“It would be nonsense to exchange Russian and Ukrainian territory,” Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would “never discuss” such exchanges.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 11 February that Ukraine may offer to exchange territory in the Kursk Oblast of Russia for Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine, though he did not specify which occupied territories Ukraine would want in return.
“Putin is uninterested in making any compromises during future peace negotiations and will only comply with a peace agreement that fulfils all of Putin’s maximalist demands in Ukraine,” ISW concludes.
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