The main goals of the Russian president Vladimir Putin in any peace negotiations include the block to its accession Ukrainian at NATO and reducing allied military presence on the eastern flank, the Financial Times reported citing a former Kremlin official and a source who discussed the matter with Putin.

The news comes as the Kremlin has signaled its willingness for Putin to meet the US president-elect Donald Trump with a view to reaching an agreement to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. No specific plans or date have been set, although Moscow has indicated that any meeting would take place only after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Trump has promised to bring Kiev and Moscow to the negotiating table and quickly end the nearly three-year war. Earlier this week, he told reporters that discussions about a meeting with Putin were ongoing.

The US president-elect previously said specific peace proposals were still being worked out. A leaked proposal from Trump’s team – freezing front lines, delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership by 20 years and deploying European peacekeepers on the ground – has already been rejected by Russia.

Trump’s incoming Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, said the president-elect’s goal is not to “give something to Putin or the Russians,” but to “save Ukraine and its sovereignty.” Nevertheless, Trump has often expressed sympathy for the Russian leader, prompting fears that he may strike a deal that does not compromise Ukraine.

Putin’s two stated main goals reflect demands Moscow made shortly before the invasion began. The Biden administration and NATO allies then rejected those requests.

Ukraine, for its part, has stepped up its efforts to join the alliance since the outbreak of war, seeking the best possible guarantee that Russia will not repeat its aggression in the future. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that Ukraine could enter NATO gradually, with the principle of collective defense not initially extended to Russian-occupied territories.

The push for peace talks comes as both Kiev and Moscow face growing challenges over the war.

Ukrainian forces are struggling to contain Russia’s advance in the east due to a lack of manpower, while the future of Western support is increasingly uncertain under Trump. The chances of recapturing Russian-held territory seem increasingly slim, at least in the foreseeable future.

Russia, for its part, according to kyivindependet, is facing soaring inflation due to record military spending and its casualties are believed to be between 600,000-800,000 dead and wounded, surpassing all Moscow conflicts since World War II War together.