To conclude a peace agreement with Russia, Ukraine is advancing five main demands, Politico writes. The outlet emphasizes that on the eve of the meeting between U.S. and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, these very conditions were disclosed — that is, Kyiv is marking its position in advance, clearly outlining the contour on the negotiating field.
The first condition is a strict ceasefire before any territorial concessions. As Ukraine stresses, before moving to any subsequent political discussions, the exchanges of fire at the front must be completely stopped; otherwise, the substance of the agreements will also be at risk.
The second point is that Russia must compensate the damage inflicted on Ukraine. Within the framework of official calculations, the damage is estimated between $500 billion and $1 trillion. This includes large-scale efforts to restore infrastructure, rebuild the housing stock and energy networks, as well as cover losses in the social sphere.
The third demand is that Ukraine views accession to the European Union and NATO as a guarantee to prevent future attacks. At the same time, Kyiv firmly rejects Moscow’s demands to reduce the number of armed forces and to stop deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. That is, the principle remains that Ukraine itself makes decisions regarding the security architecture.
The fourth direction is the immediate return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and children. This item is specifically noted as the most sensitive humanitarian issue: this link, directly related to the rules of humanitarian principles and international law, is seen as one of the trust factors of the agreement.
The fifth rule is that Ukraine demands the preservation of sanctions against Russia. In Kyiv’s view, since the instruments of pressure are producing results, they should be kept unchanged or reconsidered only in exchange for concrete practical steps.
On August 15, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations in Alaska. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, while acknowledging that this meeting is important for Moscow and Washington, emphasized that they cannot make decisions regarding Ukraine on their own — that is, the position is openly stated that decisions regarding Ukraine cannot be made without Kyiv.
Thus, the five demands described by Politico express Kyiv’s “red lines”: ceasefire, reparations, an independent right to Euro-Atlantic integration, the fate of prisoners and children, and preservation of the sanctions regime. Such framing before negotiations serves as a criterion for a real result: the closer the sides approach these outlined boundaries, the faster the peace formula can be filled with real substance.
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