These are Putin's demands to stop the war with Ukraine..some of them are very difficult
The Russian president called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan early Friday and revealed exactly what it would take to withdraw Russian forces from Ukraine.
Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's chief adviser, heard the call and told the BBC that Putin's demands fell into two categories.
Kalin said the first four demands were "not too difficult" for Ukraine to meet, and involved accepting that Ukraine should be neutral and not join NATO.
Other demands in this category include Ukraine undergoing a demilitarization process to ensure that the country does not pose a threat to Russia in the future, and that the Russian language should enjoy legal protection in the country.
Obviously, the more difficult demands lie in the second category, with Putin demanding face-to-face negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelensky before deciding on a peacekeeping agreement.
Kalin said other circumstances could be controversial, including the status of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, with the assumption that Russia would demand the Ukrainian government cede that territory.
Russia is also likely to ask Ukraine to formally agree that Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, belongs to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the Ukrainian authorities of "procrastinating" in the negotiations, but added that Moscow is ready to search for solutions, during a call he made with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
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