A key condition for Russia to agree to any ceasefire deal is a ban on Ukraine joining NATO, it has been revealed. The US is currently attempting to negotiate a truce between the two countries, starting with a 30-day ceasefire - though Donald Trump recently said that Ukraine "may not survive" if they do not comply.
However, Moscow has so far rejected this plan, with Vladimir Putin seen yesterday in military attire visiting troops in Kursk. Russia currently controls just under one-fifth of Ukraine and has consistently refused to engage in peace talks with Kyiv.
It has now come to light that no progress will be made unless assurances are provided that Ukraine will be prevented from joining NATO - the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, established in 1949. The Kremlin also demands recognition of Russia's claim to Crimea and four Ukrainian provinces, as well as an agreement that foreign troops will not be deployed in the country.
NATO was primarily created to prevent expansion in Europe by the former Soviet Union - the group of communist republics led by Russia. Membership rules stipulate that if one member is attacked, all others must come to its defence.
NATO does not have its own army; instead, military action by member countries is considered a collective response. The UK, US, France, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal were the 12 founding nations.
The alliance, which now includes 32 members spanning across Europe and North America, expanded to encompass Eastern European nations such as Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia have expressed their desires to join the fold. Back in 2008, Nato signaled that Ukraine might one day be welcomed into the alliance, a move that Russia has loudly protested, worrying that it would place Nato forces alarmingly close to its closely guarded frontiers.
Following Russia's incursion in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an acceleration in granting membership, only to be informed that it would only be considered once warfare ceased.
Zelensky declared his readiness to sacrifice his presidency for Ukraine's accession to Nato, stating, "If to achieve peace you really need me to give up my post, I'm ready. I can trade it for Nato membership, if there are such conditions."
Earlier this year, former US President Donald Trump prodded Nato's European allies to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense, emphasizing, "They can all afford it."
Furthermore, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte has been vocal in calling on member states to ramp up their defense expenditure.
This week, President Trump consented to recommence arms supplies and the exchange of intelligence with Ukraine as Kyiv signaled its willingness to back a proposed ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his hope for a deal to be reached within days, stating that Europe would need to participate in any security guarantee for Ukraine. He outlined his vision: "Here's what we'd like the world to look like in a few days: Neither side is shooting at each other, not rockets, not missiles, not bullets, nothing...and the talking starts."
However, the sight of Putin donned in camouflage in Russia's Kursk Oblast region, which encompasses the contested territory of Crimea, has escalated tensions further and cast doubt on immediate progress.
The autocrat stoked the flames by suggesting captured Ukrainian soldiers should be "treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation".
The Kremlin also dismissed the idea of stationing European peacekeepers in Ukraine following any potential peace agreement, as has been suggested, arguing that the population "would be under serious Western influence".
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