Peace deal must bar Ukraine from Nato, Russian official says

Russia volition question guarantees that Nato volition exclude Ukraine from rank and that Ukraine volition stay neutral successful immoderate bid deal, a Russian lawman overseas curate said.

"We volition request that ironclad information guarantees go portion of this agreement," Alexander Grushko told Russian media outlet Izvestia.

"Part of these guarantees should beryllium the neutral presumption of Ukraine, the refusal of Nato countries to judge it into the alliance," helium said.

It comes arsenic US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to talk successful the coming days, arsenic talks proceed implicit a imaginable ceasefire successful the three-year warfare successful Ukraine.

The US and Ukraine person agreed to suggest a 30-day ceasefire to Russia.

While Putin said that helium supported a ceasefire, helium besides acceptable retired a database of pugnacious conditions for achieving peace.

One of the areas of contention is Russia's occidental Kursk region, wherever Ukraine launched a subject incursion past August and captured immoderate territory.

Putin has claimed Russia is afloat backmost successful power of Kursk, and said Ukrainian troops determination "have been isolated".

He has besides raised galore questions astir however a ceasefire could beryllium monitored and policed on the frontline successful the east.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of trying to "sabotage" diplomatic efforts to unafraid an contiguous ceasefire.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin connected Thursday successful Moscow, told CNN that helium expected that "there volition beryllium a call" betwixt Trump and Putin "this week".

During his predetermination campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to extremity the war, which began with Russia's full-scale penetration of its neighbour successful 2022, connected "day one" of a caller administration.

Less than a period aft helium was inaugurated, Trump had telephone with Putin that reportedly spanned 90 minutes astir instantly starting negotiations connected ending the war.

Witkoff declined to reply a question connected however Russian-occupied onshore successful Ukraine could beryllium addressed successful a imaginable deal. Russia presently controls astir a 5th of Ukraine.