At a meeting with representatives of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, President Vladimir Putin outlined Moscow's position on the upcoming peace talks on Ukraine. As Kommersant journalist Andrei Kolesnikov reported, citing the participants in the meeting, Russia will insist on the official recognition of Crimea, as well as the LPR, DPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions as part of the Russian Federation. In the event of rapid fulfillment of these conditions, Moscow is ready to renounce its claims to Odessa and other territories remaining under Kyiv's control. 

According to the publication's sources, Putin stressed that Ukraine had a chance to avoid escalation by agreeing to dialogue at the early stages of the conflict. At first, the talk was about recognizing Crimea, then about the autonomy of the LPR and DPR, and later about the inclusion of the four regions in Russia.

Now, according to interlocutors, Moscow considers the achieved territorial changes to be irreversible and demands that they be consolidated through negotiations. 

Putin expressed confidence that an agreement could be reached with US President Donald Trump. This position was voiced after their telephone conversation on March 18, which lasted more than two hours, during which the leaders discussed a 30-day ceasefire and a cessation of attacks on infrastructure. According to Reuters, Trump is seeking to freeze the conflict, which could include Russia retaining current territories in exchange for a ceasefire. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had ordered the military to refrain from attacks on energy, and a prisoner exchange is planned for March 19 according to the “175 for 175” formula, with the transfer of 23 wounded Ukrainian soldiers.