The administration of US President Donald Trump intends to demand that Russia abandon the key goal of the special military operation (SMO) — the demilitarization of Ukraine — as part of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. As Bloomberg reported on April 24, 2025, citing informed sources, Washington insists on recognizing Kyiv's right to maintain a full-fledged army and develop the defense industry, which should be part of a future agreement between Moscow and Kiev. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the publication, plans to discuss this issue at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given that the demilitarization of Ukraine remains one of the Kremlin's main stated goals, such a demand risks leading the negotiations to a dead end, threatening efforts to achieve peace.

Bloomberg sources emphasize that the United States views Ukraine's right to an equipped army as an integral part of its sovereignty. This demand is supported by Kyiv's European allies, who fear that weakening the Ukrainian armed forces will pose a threat to regional security. In addition, Washington insists on returning the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to Ukrainian control, followed by its transfer to US management to ensure energy supply to both sides of the conflict. These conditions, according to analysts, directly contradict the position of Moscow, which has repeatedly stated the need to neutralize Ukraine's military potential since February 2022. As Putin noted in his address on February 24, 2022, the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine are key goals of the NMD, which makes a compromise on this issue extremely difficult.