Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a suggestion reportedly considered by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team that would delay Ukraine’s NATO membership for at least a decade as a condition for ending the war in Ukraine.
In response to a journalist’s query about the proposal, reportedly considered by Trump in early November, Putin said on December 26 it does not matter if Ukraine joins NATO “today, tomorrow or in 10 years.”
According to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin’s comments show his refusal to entertain compromises on Russia’s demands from late 2021 and early 2022, which include forcing Ukraine to become a neutral state, limiting the size of its military and removing its government.
Putin and other Kremlin officials have blamed Ukraine for delaying peace negotiations while asserting that a change of government in Kyiv is necessary for talks to proceed, the ISW added.
