Ukraine’s NATO non-alignment is a cornerstone issue: Kremlin

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Dec 2025 14:54

The Kremlin says guarantees of Ukraine’s non-alignment with NATO are a cornerstone of any settlement, as Moscow signals openness to serious peace talks.

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From left, Russian Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov prior to the talks on the sidelines of an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on December 12, 2025. (Sputnik via AP)

The Kremlin has reiterated that guarantees ensuring Ukraine’s non-alignment with NATO remain one of the central and non-negotiable elements in any prospective settlement of the conflict, stressing that the issue requires “special discussion.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the question of Ukraine’s relationship with the NATO alliance is among the most important aspects of the negotiations. "Naturally, this issue is one of the most important and, of course, it is subject to special discussion compared to the others," Peskov said.

His remarks come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled readiness to abandon Kiev’s bid for NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees from individual states, including the United States.

Peskov also stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to a genuine and lasting peace, while firmly rejecting what Moscow views as attempts to buy time through temporary arrangements. "We can only speak for the Russian side, for President Putin," Peskov explained, adding, "He is open to peace, to serious peace, to serious decisions, and he is absolutely not open to any tricks aimed at stalling for time and creating artificial respites," the Kremlin spokesperson said.

He added that Moscow does not intend to conduct what he described as “megaphone negotiations,” signaling Russia’s preference for closed-door diplomacy over public exchanges.

Moscow welcomes Trump administration’s mediation efforts

The Kremlin spokesperson said Russia positively assesses US President Donald Trump's efforts and his administration to broker a settlement, describing Washington’s engagement as sincere. "Trump is sincerely working on a settlement, and he wants a Ukrainian settlement; he wants a settlement of this conflict. And he makes efforts, and his whole team makes efforts. We highly appreciate these efforts," Peskov said.

Additionally, the Financial Times reported last week that Trump hopes to reach an agreement on Ukraine by Christmas.

Peskov said Russia expects Washington to present its vision for a peaceful settlement after completing discussions with European partners and Ukraine. His comments followed lengthy talks held in Berlin on Sunday involving US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Zelensky, which reportedly lasted five hours.

According to Peskov, Witkoff later spoke of progress on a 20-point settlement plan, though Moscow has not been briefed in real time on the proposals discussed with Kiev and European capitals. "Once they complete their part of the work, we will expect that we will receive from our American interlocutors the vision that is being discussed today in Berlin," he said.

When asked whether an agreement could be reached by December 25, as reportedly envisioned by Trump, Peskov declined to speculate, saying that discussing timelines at this stage would be premature.