Military expert: territorial status and security guarantees seen as key sticking points for any Zelensky–Putin talks
Latvian National Armed Forces Major Jānis Slaidiņš, speaking on TV24, outlined which issues could dominate a potential complex peace negotiation between Ukraine and Russia's leaders. He named the status of occupied territories and security guarantees for Ukraine as the toughest topics.
Jānis Slaidiņš, a major in Latvia's National Armed Forces and an officer at the National Guard staff, discussed on the TV24 program "Aktuālais par karadarbību Ukrainā" which topics could shape a potential difficult peace negotiation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Slaidiņš noted that Ukraine's official side has not published a specific list of negotiation topics, but political analysts point to several key themes likely to feature in such talks.
Status of occupied territories
He identified the future status of occupied territories as the most difficult issue. One possible path forward, he suggested, could involve moving away from rigid positions toward compromise — for instance, postponing a final decision on territorial status or introducing some form of international control mechanisms.
Security guarantees
A second major topic, according to Slaidiņš, is the security guarantees Ukraine would need. Since Ukraine's NATO membership remains uncertain in the near term, negotiations might explore alternative arrangements — bilateral agreements with individual NATO member states or international peacekeeping missions intended to deter renewed Russian aggression. He pointed out that Russia has so far opposed any foreign military presence on Ukrainian soil, meaning this issue would require agreement among all parties involved.
Reconstruction and reparations
Slaidiņš also mentioned that the negotiation agenda could include the financing of Ukraine's reconstruction and the question of reparations, including possible mechanisms for using frozen Russian assets to help rebuild the country.
