
Russia is demanding Finland's withdrawal from NATO and the banning of the Western alliance's military bases in the Baltic states as part of a peace deal in Ukraine.
According to the German newspaper Bild, the unofficial proposals presented to European representatives in Abu Dhabi are in the wake of Russia's efforts to negotiate a new security order in Europe.
More specifically, Moscow wants to ban NATO bases in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, while Finland, which joined the alliance in 2023, should return to neutral status.
In exchange, Russia is offering to withdraw nuclear weapons from Belarus and abandon plans to deploy medium-range missiles there.
According to the Kremlin's alleged proposals, Moscow would retain control over all occupied Ukrainian territories, and would also take over the entire Donbas region, including parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that are still controlled by Kiev.
The ports of Odessa and Mykolaiv would be demilitarized and their use as naval bases would be prohibited. According to Bild, separate agreements would guarantee freedom of navigation in the Black and Baltic Seas.
The proposals also include keeping Ukraine out of NATO, while leaving open the possibility of joining the EU bloc. Earlier, Axios reported that the Trump administration had asked Russia to present proposals for a future security agreement with Europe.