Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed readiness to engage in talks with the United States over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but under strict conditions. Putin emphasized that any peace agreement must address the “root causes” of the conflict, which he defined as Ukraine‘s complete surrender. The Kremlin has insisted that its demands from late 2021 and early 2022 remain non-negotiable, including Ukraine’s permanent neutrality, exclusion from NATO, significant limitations on its military, and the removal of the current Ukrainian government. Putin also noted that the U.S. had previously proposed delaying Ukraine‘s NATO membership by 10-15 years, but this did not prevent the Russian invasion, which Moscow attributed to perceived NATO expansion threats.
While the Kremlin is open to dialogue, the demand for Ukraine’s capitulation remains firm, and Putin reiterated this stance during a Security Council meeting on January 20, alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The U.S. had hoped for a different outcome, with President Joe Biden’s 2021 proposal failing to avert the invasion. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on January 20 that Russian forces had suffered over 434,000 casualties in 2024 alone, with 150,000 fatalities. Ukrainian forces have continued their offensive, targeting Russian military facilities, including an aircraft production plant in Kazan, Tatarstan, as part of a broader strategy to undermine Russia’s combat capabilities.
On the other side of the world, U.S. President Donald Trump, on the first day of his second term, claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is eager for peace talks. Trump remarked that Russia is “destroying itself” by failing to negotiate and suggested that Putin, who had initially expected the war to end quickly, might recognize the negative economic consequences of the prolonged conflict. Despite this, Trump did not specify what kind of peace deal he envisioned, though he stated that he would meet with Putin soon, emphasizing that a resolution to the war is a top priority for his administration. Trump also criticized NATO’s financial contributions to the war effort, urging the alliance to increase its defense spending significantly.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also reflecting Trump‘s stance, stated that a peaceful resolution to the war would require compromises from both Russia and Ukraine. Rubio acknowledged the complexity of negotiations, noting that neither side could achieve their maximum goals. The Secretary of State emphasized that diplomacy, rather than public discourse, would be key in reaching a settlement. While Russia is clearly the aggressor in the conflict, Rubio stressed the importance of ending the war and refrained from detailing what specific concessions Ukraine might have to make.
In Ukraine, Russian forces continued their aggressive advances in various regions. The DeepState project reported on January 21 that Russian troops had made notable progress in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions, capturing strategic locations such as Velyka Novosilka and Slovianka in Donetsk, and moving closer to Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian airstrikes caused significant damage on January 21, targeting a transport company, a warehouse, and residential buildings. One person was injured in the attack. Ukrainian air defense forces managed to intercept and destroy seven Russian drones during the night.
