Media: Putin demanded Ukraine to give up Donbass, NATO and Western troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine give up Donbas, abandon ambitions to join NATO, maintain neutrality, and not allow Western troops to be stationed on its territory.

This was reported by "Reuters" citing sources in the Kremlin.

According to the sources, during a closed three-hour meeting, US President Donald Trump discussed possible compromises on the Ukrainian issue with Putin.

The agency notes that the Ukrainian government rejects these conditions, considering them equivalent to capitulation.

The sources added that in the new proposal, Putin maintains his previous demand for a complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the territories of Donbas controlled by the Ukrainian side. In exchange, Moscow is ready to cease hostilities in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

According to the sources, as part of a possible deal, Moscow is also ready to return the parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions under its control.

Putin also insists on his previous demands: Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership, conclusion of a legally binding agreement on the non-eastern expansion of the alliance, limitation of the Ukrainian army's size, and prohibition of Western troops on Ukrainian territory as part of peacekeeping forces.