Russia lays out demands for talks with U.S. on Ukraine

Russia presents demands to U.S. to end war with Ukraine, reset relations; unclear if peace talks will proceed.

Russia has 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. Russian and American officials discussed the terms during in-person and virtual conversations over the last three weeks, the people said.

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They described the Kremlin's terms as broad and similar to demands it previously has presented to Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO.

Those earlier terms included 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 word from Mr. Putin on whether he will agree to a 30-day truce that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he would accept as a first step toward peace talks.