Putin is winning the war, and his conditions fully reflect that fact.
The MSM is filled with ‘leaks’ regarding the Russian demands for peace in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has responded by saying that the negotiations are being held behind closed doors, and therefore the Russian will not comment, but for once we can be pretty sure that the list being circulated is legit.
Only it isn’t much of a leak at all.
Unlike the ever-changing Ukrainian conditions and red lines, Vladimir Putin’s Russians have been very consistent in their demands since the beginning of the war, with one exception: the territorial demands.
While in the 2022 negotiations in Istanbul Russia demanded the totality of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the evolution of the war the demand now also includes Zaporozhie and Kherson regions.
It’s been reported that when yesterday’s Istanbul talks broke down, the Russian delegation warned that ‘next time’ (if it takes years to meet again) the number of Ukrainian regions conquered can be 6 or 8.
Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul yesterday (16).
Intel Slava reported on the Russian conditions that the MSM is ‘revealing’:
“1. Ukraine must adopt a neutral status without the presence of foreign troops or weapons of mass destruction on its territory.
Kiev must renounce its demands for reparations from Moscow.
Ukraine must come to terms with the loss of Crimea and four other regions.
Putin will agree to a ceasefire only after Ukraine withdraws its troops from these regions.
5. The Kremlin wants all five regions to be recognized as Russian at the international level.”
Head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov (left), and Russian top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky (right).
Variations of these demands have appeared on multiple media outlets.
Here’s another version on Lord Bebo:
“UKRAINIANS SHOCKED THAT RUSSIA WANTS WHAT IT SAYS IT WANTS SINCE YEARS!
The Ukrainian delegation and Zelensky are shocked that Russia wants the terms they announced since 2024, actually even before.
So the peace proposal is:
1) No NATO membership
2) Neutral status
3) Restoration of rights of the Russian population
4) Restoration of the church
5) No possibility for the west to use Ukraine as a proxy again!
6) Taken territories in Ukraine become Russian”
While this is a more informal formulation, it does include the respect for the Russian-speaking populations, a fundamental reason for the war, and a real-life problem in Ukraine that also affects the Hungarian minority.
The restoration of the banned Ukrainian Orthodox Church – for alleged Russian ties – is another real issue.
Russian troops on the move: for Kiev, alternative to peace is to risk capitulation.
Going back to the hardest issue of all, the territorial concessions: these present an almost insurmountable problem, as Russia demands that Kiev withdraw from portions of the four regions that it has not yet conquered.
Just to illustrate how dramatic that is, this would include, for example, Zaporozhie City – with 700+ thousand inhabitants.
The only reason for Volodymyr Zelensky and his regime to even entertain these draconian conditions is that, if they do not, they risk a much worse settlement later on, or even total capitulation.
Read more:
As Rumors of a New Big Offensive Swirl, Putin Appoints Mordvichev as New Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces – A General that Ukraine Announced it Had Killed!
The post Russian Demands for Peace in Ukraine May Be Draconian, But the Alternative for Kiev Is To Risk Capitulation appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.