Putin and peace in Ukraine: what are the conditions dictated to stop the conflict?

What are Vladimir Putin’s real conditions for accepting a truce in Ukraine? From Moscow’s red lines to the risks for Europe, the debate rages between negotiating tables and post-war scenarios

What does Putin really want to stop the war in Ukraine? This is the question asked daily by those attending the negotiations in Riyadh, in particular the delegations of the United States and Ukraine, represented by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s men. Europe, too, should ask itself what the conditions for a future post-conflict settlement might be.

This question generates many others: what conditions could Moscow set for a Kiev surrender? What is the limit beyond which the cost of peace becomes unacceptable? Moreover, as this limit varies for Trump, Zelensky and Europe, will it come down to a pre-packaged deal between Trump and Putin, with a ‘take it or leave it’ offer?

An interview published in Corriere della Sera with Evgeny Savostianov, former head of Moscow’s KGB now in exile and a critic of the Russian invasion, sheds light on these questions. Asked what the Russian president is looking for in the current negotiations, Savostianov replies: ‘Putin will only accept a truce when he is sure he can achieve his grand goals. He wants a Russian outpost on the right bank of the Dnieper, like Kherson and its surroundings, to keep pressure on Odessa, Transnistria and Chisinau. He will never accept the deployment of European deterrence forces in Ukraine: these are his ‘red lines’’.

Asked whether a real peace is possible, Savostianov responds sceptically: ‘I do not believe an end to the war is possible without a substantial change in the balance of power in Russia’s favour, even more marked than at present.

Putin’s ‘red lines’, outlined by those who know him well, reveal what is at stake for Europe. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also expressed contempt for the initiative of France and Great Britain to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, calling these powers ‘dreamers’ who demonstrate ‘failure and political incompetence’. Lavrov then evoked the image of Napoleon and Hitler, suggesting that Europe is repeating the mistakes of the past as Russia seeks to reassert its imperial grandeur.

Meanwhile, Europe risks remaining on the sidelines of decisions that will deeply affect it. Matteo Renzi effectively summed up this risk with a quote from a diplomat: ‘In foreign policy, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu’.

THE LATEST NEWS

• International-News

NATO hybrid warfare: more aggressive responses against Moscow being considered

1 Dicembre 2025

NATO hybrid warfare is at the centre of the Alliance's new strategic assessments NATO hybrid warfare has become one of...

Read More

• International-News

Pope Leo XIV and peace in the Middle East: appeal from Beirut

30 Novembre 2025

The Pontiff renews his commitment to peace in the Middle East during his visit to Lebanon Today, Sunday 30 November,...

Read More

• International-News

Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Lebanon after his visit to Turkey

30 Novembre 2025

Pope Leo XIV’s trip continues across the eastern Mediterranean Pope Leo XIV’s trip enters its Middle Eastern phase today, as...

Read More

• International-News

Trump and the plan for Ukraine: business at the heart of the strategy

29 Novembre 2025

The plan for Ukraine aims to turn negotiations into economic opportunities The plan for Ukraine circulating between Washington and Moscow,...

Read More

• International-News

Airbus A320 recall causes disruption to global air travel

29 Novembre 2025

Airbus A320 recall causes cancellations and urgent repairs It has been a difficult day for international air traffic, in the...

Read More

• International-News

Israel: two Palestinians killed in Jenin after surrendering

28 Novembre 2025

Israel launches investigation into police after killing of suspects in Jenin Two Palestinians were killed in Jenin, in the West...

Read More

(with source AdnKronos)