USA to demand Putin recognizes Ukraine's right to military force – media

19:17, 24.04.2025 1 min read

The United States will demand that Russia recognize Ukraine's right to its own army and defense industry as part of a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, Bloomberg said, citing informed sources.

"US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they next meet," the agency said.

According to the agency, this is a sign that the Trump administration is seeking certain concessions from the Kremlin, as well as from Ukraine, in an attempt to end the war, which has been going on for four years. So far, critics have viewed the U.S. proposals as leaning towards Russia, in particular the Trump administration's insistence that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance.

By agreeing to allow Kyiv to have an adequately equipped and manned army, as demanded by Ukraine and its European allies, Putin would be forced to abandon his goal of demilitarizing Ukraine, one of his main stated goals in the war.