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