Ukraine, Russia Have 5 Demands Each to End War—Plus Sen. Marshall (R-KS) Opinion and Rebuttal

Although President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remained mum on what was discussed during their high-stakes meeting Friday in Alaska, details have emerged about what Russia and Ukraine are demanding for a peace deal.

This from newsmax.com.

Newsmax host Rob Finnerty disclosed Friday night Russia is demanding Ukraine:

– cede occupied territory,

– abandon NATO membership,

– demilitarize,

– issue a resolution that recognizes the ‘root causes’ of the war, and

– change the regime in Kyiv.

Ukraine is demanding:

– a durable ceasefire before any talks on territory can commence,

– security guarantees,

– that Russia pay for damages caused by the war,

– the return of children and prisoners of war, and

– that Trump maintain sanctions on Moscow.

Trump and Putin appeared together to make statements following their private meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. But they did not elaborate on what was discussed, nor did either indicate a framework of an agreement was reached. Neither took questions from reporters.

Trump said:

There were many, many points that we agreed on. Most of them, I would say a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway. So, there’s no deal until there’s a deal.

Further:

I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I’ll, of course, call up [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and tell him about today’s meeting.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since Trump began his second term, although they have spoken several times on the phone. Trump campaigned last year on quickly resolving the war, now more than 3 years old.

NOTE: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) told Finnerty:

The problem here is that Europe has let Russia push them around since World War II.

Further:

Look, this is this is [former President] Joe Biden’s war. This is Europe’s war.

And:

Look, America is willing to help, but Europe needs to take the bull by the horns here and tell Mr. Putin to go fly a kite. This guy is a bloodthirsty war criminal. There is blood on his hands right now. Let’s wait and see what Mr. Putin does here over the next 72 hours. But meanwhile, we need to get ready to unleash these sanctions.

He explained:

I know President Trump’s body language pretty well. He said he was going to be unhappy if we didn’t get a ceasefire. There was no ceasefire announced.

Further:

Now, he gave Russia a little bit of wiggle room, but I bet on that way back he is like tripling these secondary sanctions on Brazil, on India, on China, as well.

And:

I think he’s ready to really double down and put some pressure on Mr. Putin because Putin is not capitulating at all. I want to stay optimistic, but I don’t think we made much progress today.

Sen. Marshall is placing much blame on President Putin. Is the senator unaware Ukraine operated as many as 46 laboratories, health facilities, and diagnostic sites which received support from the U.S. Department of Defense?

NOTE: While some hardline conservatives might scrutinize Sen. Marshall’s membership in centrist groups, others highlight his support for Trump-era policies and election challenges as evidence of his conservative credentials.

Yes, at face value these facilities are/were Ukrainian-owned and operated, and their purpose was supposedly public health and disease surveillance, not weapons development, however, the U.S. has provided funding and technical support through the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which has aimed to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet states. Further, some believe there is rationale to question the purpose of these facilities.

And although there was no formal treaty between Russia and NATO—or between Russia and Ukraine—that explicitly prohibited Ukraine from joining NATO, the idea that NATO promised not to expand eastward has been a long-standing claim by Russian officials, especially since the end of the Cold War.

President Zelenskyy was democratically elected in 2019 with a reported 70%-plus of the vote, although there are allegations he was installed by the West. And like many leaders in wartime, he has exercised emergency powers. These include:

– Banning certain political parties with alleged ties to Russia,

– Consolidating media under a unified information policy to counter disinformation, and

– Extending martial law and postponing elections during active conflict.

Further, as of July 2025, martial law in Ukraine was extended until November 5, 2025. Zelenskyy’s approval has declined from a peak of 90% to approximately 59% by mid-2024, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, although there is the allegation that he would not win reelection if he were to call for elections.

Final thoughts: Sen. Marshall may do better to consider President Putin’s security concerns. And to perhaps consider placing at least some of the blame for this war on President Zelenskyy and the West.