Putin confirms peace talks are only possible if Ukraine capitulates — ISW
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, his aide Yury Ushakov, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, June 3, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and senior Kremlin officials continue to demand Ukraine's complete capitulation as their primary condition for peace talks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on June 23.
The analysts highlighted Putin's statement that Russia is allegedly ready for peace talks with Ukraine, but will conduct them "exclusively on the basis of the 2022 Istanbul agreements," his June 2024 speech to the Russian Foreign Ministry, and the agreements allegedly reached with the U.S. in Anchorage in August 2025, which, in essence, are demands for Ukraine's capitulation.
ISW recalled that Russia's demands outlined in the Istanbul agreements will permanently prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, impose severe restrictions on its Armed Forces, and ban the receipt of Western military aid, without providing any limits on the size or combat capability of Russian troops.
ISW experts emphasized that Ukraine and Russia negotiated in 2022 under conditions that significantly differed from the situation in 2026. At that time, Russian forces were advancing on Kyiv and controlled territories in northeastern, eastern, and southern Ukraine. The negotiations also took place before successful Ukrainian counteroffensives liberated parts of Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts.
In his June 2024 speech, Putin outlined similar maximalist demands: the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Ukrainian-controlled parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts, as well as Ukraine's abandonment of its aspirations to join NATO. Only after meeting these conditions, he claimed, will Russia agree to a ceasefire and start of peace negotiations.
Russian officials regularly cite the so-called Anchorage agreements, allegedly reached after Putin's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska in August 2025, to promote the narrative of Russia's readiness for negotiations, despite the lack of public statements following the summit. ISW analysts concluded that Putin's June 23 statements "reflect his vision of the maximalist position" from which he will begin any renewed peace talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also stated on June 23 that Russia will supposedly achieve "all its military goals," specifically: ensuring Ukraine's neutrality and non-nuclear status, repealing "discriminatory" laws regarding the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church, and Ukraine's recognition of the illegal sham Russian referendums held in the occupied territories of Crimea, as well as Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts.
The statements by Putin and Lavrov echo Russia's so-called initial military goals from 2022, which amount to Ukraine's complete capitulation. This effectively demonstrates that any peace agreement failing to meet Russian demands — not only toward Ukraine but also toward NATO and the West — will not satisfy Russia, experts emphasized.
On June 23, Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine "at any time and at the point where they stopped."
In turn, Putin said that same day that he sees no prerequisites for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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