Putin lays out demands to end war

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed his demands for ending the conflict in Ukraine with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone call on Thursday, reports the Insider quoting the BBC.

Shortly after the discussion concluded, Ibrahim Kalin, a senior adviser to Erdogan who listened to the conversation between the two country heads, told the BBC about the substance of Putin's requests.

Firstly, Putin wants Ukraine to promise that it will remain neutral and not pursue NATO membership.

Putin also wants Ukraine to complete a disarmament process, safeguard the Russian language the country, and engage in "de-Nazification," reports Insider quoting BBC.

According to Kalin, the most difficult demands by Putin include the status of Crimea and the Donbas region, with Putin stating that he would need to meet with Zelenskyy in person to address this.

However, specifics about these demands were not given.

According to Kalin, the demands Putin made while talking to Erdogan are similar to those laid out by the Kremlin last week, as reported by Reuters.

Russia had said that it would stop military operations in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to these terms, which included amending the country's constitution to maintain neutrality, declaring Crimea as Russian territory, and recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as separate entities.