Sources familiar with the Kremlin’s demands have revealed to The Moscow Times what Vladimir Putin’s conditions are for the negotiation process in Saudi Arabia.
Yesterday in Riyadh, the US and Russian delegations held long 12-hour talks. Moscow’s goal is one and only: to gain time. For the Kremlin, prolonging the peace talks as long as possible is imperative to capturing as much Ukrainian territory as possible and to gain an upper hand over Kiev in the negotiations.
Four sources, who requested anonymity, revealed that the Kremlin is convinced that time is running in Putin’s favor, not Zelensky’s. "Time is on our side right now and we will try to make the most of it," a Russian diplomat said.
While President Vladimir Putin said he agreed in principle with Trump's proposed 30-day ceasefire, he stressed that "nuances" were important to Moscow - a signal that Russia will press its maximalist demands before agreeing to disarm.
Ideally, the Kremlin hopes that Washington will either tacitly allow Russia to continue advancing on the battlefield while diplomats negotiate - or even pressure Kiev to completely withdraw its troops from Russian-occupied regions, including Kherson and Zaporizhia, a Russian official said.
Moscow claims that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions are Russian territory, although it does not fully control any of them.
Moscow is determined to tighten control over these regions at all costs, as Putin cannot politically afford to lose them, having written their status into the constitution. The collapse of the Russian army there could also mean the fall of Putin's regime.
Alternatively, Russia could try to seize parts of other Ukrainian lands, such as Sumy, and then offer to trade for Kherson and Zaporizhia.
Moscow believes that for Donald Trump and his administration it does not really matter where the dividing line in Ukraine is on the map. For Trump, it is important that the war stops soon so that he can portray himself as a "peacemaker" - even if that means under nightmarish conditions for Kiev.
Although the Kremlin has not agreed to Trump's proposal for a full ceasefire and a partial truce stopping attacks on energy infrastructure has not yet been signed, the Russian Foreign Ministry has already begun accusing Kiev of violations.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will never recognize the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops as part of the Russian Federation.