Vladimir Putin demands NATO stops in its tracks to end Ukraine invasion

The Russian leader has set his conditions for ending the war with Ukraine (Image: Getty)

Vladimir Putin has set his conditions to end Russia's attempted invasion of Ukraine, sources say, and top of his list is to stop NATO in its tracks.

The Russian leader wants NATO - the military alliance of countries in Europe and North America - to provide a written pledge to stop expansion eastwards, which would rule out membership for the likes of Ukraine, Georigia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.

He is also reportedly requesting any sanctions placed on the country to be lifted, according that three sources in Russia with knowledge of the ongoing peace negotations revealed to Reuters.

US president Donald Trump has been a vocal advocate for ending the conflict between the two countries, publicly showing his dissaproval of Putin's stubbornness to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss terms for peace.

Trump famously said Putin was "playing with fire" should the war continue, as Russia continually made gains on the battlefield.

Following discussions between the two world leaders, however, Putin agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum to achieve peace, which would include the timing of a ceasefire.

They are claiming to be drafting their version though an estimated time of completion has not been given.

Kyiv and governments in the West have consistently accussed Russia of stalling peace negotations so progress in the war can be attained.

Other demands claimed to be set in stone include Ukraine being neutral, a resolution of the frozen Russian sovereign assets in Europe and beyond, as well as protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine.

A source warned Reuters how if Putin's conditions are not fulfilled that he will seek to show how "peace tomorrow will be even more painful" with military victories.

Kyiv has repeatedly stated Russia should never be given veto power over its aspirations of gaining NATO membership, with Zelensky saying it needs the support in order to deter any future Russia attack and boost their national security.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met today for a second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, but the discussion lasted barely an hour and produced no major progress towards ending the three-year-old war, officials said.

The talks in Turkey unfolded a day after a string of long-range attacks by both sides, with Ukraine launching a devastating drone assault on Russian air bases and Russia making its largest drone attack of the war against Ukraine.

At the negotiating table, Russia presented a memo setting out the Kremlin’s terms for ending hostilities, the Ukrainian delegation said.

Defence minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, told reporters that Kyiv officials would need a week to review the document and decide on a response. Ukraine proposed further talks on a date between June 20 and 30, he said.