In a clear signal that Russia has no intention of softening its position, top officials have again stated that any peace deal must meet all of Moscow’s long-standing demands, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The statements came as the Kremlin continued referencing a vague “understanding” from the recent Putin-Trump Alaska summit while dismissing talk of an imminent breakthrough.
Russia rules out concessions in peace talks
ISW reports that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on 26 November that “there can be no talk of any concessions or any surrender” of what he called the “key aspects” of Russia’s challenges with Ukraine. He added that Russia “is prepared to achieve its stated goals” through negotiations and warned that the war would continue if there are “any setbacks” in the talks.
Ryabkov stated that Russia’s position “has not changed” and mentioned what he described as an “understanding” reached with the United States at the August 2025 Alaska summit. There are no public-facing agreements from that summit.
ISW continues to assess that "the Kremlin is attempting to exploit the lack of clarity about the Alaska summit to conceal the Kremlin’s continued unwillingness to compromise and its commitment to achieving nothing short of a full victory in Ukraine."
Peskov says “too early to say” on peace progress
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded on 26 November to a question suggesting that Ukraine and Russia had never been closer to reaching a peace deal by saying “it is too early to say.” ISW interpreted this as a sign that the Kremlin is distancing itself from the current peace proposal, likely intending to reject it.
ISW reported that Kremlin officials continue setting conditions to reject any deal that does not concede to all of Russia’s maximalist demands. The think tank stated that Russia remains committed to pursuing its goals fully and is not indicating any willingness to compromise.
