Russian dictator Vladimir Putin demands that Ukraine abandon Donbas, abandon ambitions to join NATO, maintain neutrality, and prevent Western troops from entering the country.

About this Reuters sources familiar with the Kremlin's position said. The sources said that during the entire closed 3-hour meeting, US President Donald Trump discussed with the Kremlin leader a possible compromise on Ukraine.

The publication noted that the Ukrainian authorities rejected these conditions, calling them tantamount to surrender.

The sources added that in the new proposal, Putin is sticking to his old demand for the complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the areas of Donbas they control. In return, Moscow would halt the current front lines in Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

According to sources, Moscow is also ready to hand over occupied parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions as part of a possible deal.

According to sources, Putin is also sticking to his previous demands that Ukraine abandon NATO membership and obtain a legal commitment from the alliance not to expand eastward, as well as limit the size of the Ukrainian army and conclude an agreement that Western troops will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory as part of a peacekeeping force.

However, the positions of the parties remain quite divided, the publication stated.

Three sources close to the Kremlin told the publication that they believed the Alaska meeting offered the best chance for peace since the war began, as specific negotiations took place on Russia's terms and Putin allegedly showed a willingness to concede.

"Putin is ready for peace, for compromise. This is the message that was conveyed to Trump," one of the sources assured.

The sources said the Kremlin was unclear whether Ukraine was ready to give up the remnants of Donbas, and threatened that if it did not, the war would continue. It was also unclear whether the United States would recognize the Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories, they added.

One of the sources also said that although economic issues are secondary to Putin, he understands Russia's economic vulnerability and the scale of the effort required to continue the war against Ukraine.

According to Russian sources, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, played a key role in preparing the Alaska meeting. In particular, on August 6, Witkoff met with Putin in the Kremlin, and Putin made it clear that he was ready to compromise and outlined what he would accept in exchange for peace, two Russian sources said.

One source expressed the opinion that if Russia and Ukraine can come to an agreement, then various options for a formal agreement are possible, including a trilateral agreement between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, recognized by the UN Security Council.

Another option is to return to the 2022 Istanbul Agreements, which, in particular, discussed Ukraine's neutrality in exchange for security guarantees from five members of the UN Security Council: Great Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, the sources added.

"There are two options: war or peace, and if there is no peace, there will be even more war," one of the interlocutors concluded.

Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine

On August 15, Putin and Trump held talks in Alaska. According to their results, Trump handed over to Zelensky that the Russian dictator wants to acquire all of Donbas as a price for peace.

Zelensky himself has repeatedly stated that he will not give up Ukrainian territories.