What are the key Russian demands in war with Ukraine; know 5 points

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, started on February 24, has so far reportedly killed more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians and destroyed hundreds of structures including transport facilities, hospitals, kindergartens and homes.

While the international community has announced several stringent measures to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has hit back saying, its key security demands have not been made by the West, especially the US that could have avoided the bloodshed.

What are the key Russian demands in the war with Ukraine?

1. The demands include that NATO should not expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet countries.

2. Another key demand from Russia is a ban on Ukraine entering NATO and a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to NATO’s eastern flank.

3. Moscow wants a guarantee from Ukraine that it will not enter the US-led NATO.

4. Vladimir Putin has demanded that the west provide Russia “legal guarantees” of its security.

5. Moscow also calls for the two countries US & Russia - to pull back any short- or medium-range missile systems out of reach, replacing the previous intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty that the US left in 2018.

Meanwhile, The United States and European Union have levied sanctions on Russia's biggest banks and its elite, frozen the assets of the country's Central Bank located outside the country, and excluded its financial institutions from the SWIFT bank messaging system, but have largely allowed its oil and natural gas to continue to flow freely to the rest of the world.