Western Officials Say Putin Does Not Intend To Make Any Key Compromises On Ukraine War Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly unwilling to make any significant compromises to move toward ending the war in Ukraine, potentially complicating any U.S.-brokered conversations.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Western Security officials believe Putin has no intention of compromising on land, peacekeepers and Ukrainian neutrality demands, adding that the "maximalist" demands will likely be unacceptable to Ukrainians and other Europeans.

Aware of that outcome, Putin is prepared to continue the war, the report added. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the report, saying "Russia is open for peace efforts, for peace settlement around Ukraine, and we actually prefer to reach our goals through peaceful and diplomatic means." "If today and tomorrow shows that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, it will be a different story."

The outlet had reported last week that Putin was ready to begin discussing a potential ceasefire with Ukraine provided some conditions are met, including the conformation of a peacekeeping mission. The offer was conveyed last months during talks in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials. Moscow indicated that any cessation of hostilities would need to include a clear understanding regarding the framework of a final peace agreement.

The parameters of an eventual peacekeeping mission and the countries involved in it are a key aspect of any way forward. Russia has anticipated it won't accept the presence of any troops belonging to NATO countries. It does not object to countries that have stayed neutral throughout the conflict.

The country's stance could become clearer following talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Kyiv is set to propose a partial ceasefire as a first step. Officials told press on Monday that the proposal would cover the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, as well as the release of prisoners.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that concessions by Ukraine are "the only way" to end the war. "They've suffered greatly and their people have suffered greatly, and it's hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions," but "that's the only way this is going to end to prevent more suffering," Rubio said.

The Secretary of State anticipated that what Kyiv is "willing to do in order to achieve peace" may be "incompatible with what the Russians are willing to do," but that talks are aimed at finding that out.