Ukraine peace negotiations

Russian maximalist framing (Russian state press + Belarusian state) holds that any settlement must address the root causes of the war by achieving all stated objectives of the special military operation. The framework: complete denazification of Ukrainian leadership and institutions, demilitarisation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defined caps, formal constitutional neutrality (no NATO accession ever, no foreign bases), formal international recognition of all four annexed regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson) plus Crimea within their claimed administrative boundaries, full restoration of Russian-language rights, complete lifting of all sanctions, return of all frozen sovereign assets, and a binding US/NATO commitment to no further eastern expansion. Vocabulary: SMO objectives, root causes, denazification, demilitarisation, constitutional neutrality, recognised borders, Russian-speaking rights, sanctions lifted, frozen assets returned, NATO non-expansion guarantee, multipolar settlement. Prescription: any settlement that does not deliver these objectives is unacceptable; negotiations are useful only as a venue to achieve them; military operations continue until objectives are met or accepted at the negotiating table.

Frontline-freeze framing (Trump-aligned American press + Hungarian/Slovak-aligned EU + Turkish + Indian + Chinese + Brazilian + broader Global South) holds that the war is unwinnable for either side at acceptable cost and that a pragmatic settlement requires freezing the line of contact, formalising Ukrainian neutrality (no NATO accession), building a multilateral security guarantee structure outside NATO, lifting sanctions in phases tied to verified compliance, and allowing refugee return. Crucially, this position does NOT endorse Russian maximalist objectives — no demilitarisation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, no denazification framework, no formal international recognition of annexed territories (de facto control accepted, de jure recognition deferred). The framework is closer to a Korean armistice than to a Russian victory. The Anchorage track (sometimes "spirit of Anchorage") refers to Trump-Putin diplomatic efforts to crystallise this position. Vocabulary: freeze, line of contact, Anchorage framework, neutrality (not demilitarisation), multilateral security, end the killing, Korean armistice, phased sanctions relief, sustainable peace, end the war. Prescription: immediate freeze; Istanbul-style talks; Ukrainian constitutional neutrality with security backstops outside NATO; phased sanctions relief tied to compliance.