Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 6 March that Russian President Vladimir Putin has explicitly rejected making concessions in future peace negotiations over Ukraine.
During a visit to the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation in Moscow on 6 March, Putin claimed that Russia does not intend to “give in to anyone” or make any compromises in peace talks.
“Russia must choose a peace option that best suits Russia and will ensure peace in the long-term,” Putin claimed.
Putin declared that Russia “will not give up” what he referred to as Russia’s “own” territory in future negotiations — likely alluding to illegally annexed oblasts in occupied Ukraine, according to the ISW.
Russian army occupied Crimea in 2014 and four other oblasts since the full-scale invasion – Donetsk, Luhansk, part of Lherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also claimed on a March 6 press conference rejecting any proposals for European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.
“Russia sees no room for compromise on this issue,” Lavrov said. He warned that Russia would consider the presence of European peacekeepers as “the direct, official, undisguised involvement of NATO countries” in the war.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova also claimed that Russia considers any proposal giving Ukraine a “respite” along the frontline as unacceptable.
These statements directly reject US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s 12 February suggestion that European and non-European countries should station troops in Ukraine to enforce any future peace agreement, according to ISW.
Lavrov claimed that any peace agreement must address what he termed the “root causes” of the conflict. These include guarantees that “NATO will stop expanding, trying to ‘swallow’ Ukraine, and developing threats against Russia.”
The foreign minister suggested that US President Donald Trump “understands” the need to eliminate these “root causes” while European countries are attempting to ignore them.
Russian officials frequently invoke “root causes” to demand NATO abandon its open-door policy and to shift blame for Putin’s invasion to the West and Ukraine.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on 6 March he expects President Donald Trump to implement new sanctions against Russia’s weakened economy if Vladimir Putin refuses to engage in peace negotiations.
“Ukraine has made major announcements in the last 48 hours about ceasefires, the minerals deal, and their willingness to engage in peace talks,” Graham said on X. “Putin has been defiant and resistant publicly to President Trump’s overtures.”
After the tough meeting of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy with the US President Trump on 28 Feb., which led to the military aid and intelligence sharing halt, the two countries reportedly resumed their diplomatic talks. Next week, Ukraine’s and the US’s delegations will meet in Saudi Arabia to sign the mineral deal.
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