Feb 2022 – Russia launches a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering a wave of Western sanctions and prompting NATO to accelerate its expansion into the Nordic region, a development Moscow cites as a core grievance in later peace talks [5][10].

2023 – The Wagner private‑military group stages a short‑lived revolt against the Kremlin, exposing cracks in Putin’s control over his own forces and foreshadowing internal challenges that later shape Russia’s war posture [6].

June 2024 – Russia presents a framework demanding that Ukraine withdraw from four partially occupied regions, abandon its NATO aspirations, and allow Russian influence over eastern Donbas, setting the diplomatic baseline for subsequent negotiations [2].

Dec 3, 2025 – NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte tells Putin at a Brussels summit that the alliance will not retreat and urges members to spend at least 5 % of GDP on defence, while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold a five‑hour meeting with Russian officials that yields no public breakthrough [10][6].

Dec 4, 2025 – Putin declares Russia disagrees with key parts of the U.S. peace plan, insisting that “either we take back these territories by force or Ukrainian troops withdraw,” and he accuses Kyiv of abandoning earlier commitments and serving nationalist interests [4][9].

Dec 14, 2025 – Putin demands full territorial gains—including the remaining 20 % of Donetsk—and a complete NATO exclusion, while President Donald Trump hints at pressuring Ukraine into a cease‑fire; the EU drafts a €200 bn “reparation loan” using frozen Russian assets, and Ukraine narrows conscription to men 25‑60 to protect future demographics [3].

Dec 15, 2025 – President Volodymyr Zelensky announces that Ukraine will no longer pursue NATO membership, a move aimed at easing negotiations; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejects “megaphone” talks and reaffirms NATO as a non‑negotiable security issue, while U.S. President Trump publicly rules out any Ukrainian NATO entry [8].

Dec 18, 2025 – EU leaders reconvene at a summit to revisit the proposed €90 bn two‑year loan funded by frozen Russian assets, a deal blocked by Belgium pending risk‑sharing arrangements after the Russian Central Bank sues Euroclear [3].

Dec 19, 2025 (Direct Line event) – Putin tells a televised audience that Russia will halt new “special military operations” if the West treats Moscow with respect and respects its interests, linking any future conflict to NATO’s eastward expansion; minutes after the broadcast, a Russian missile strike kills seven in Odesa [2].

Dec 19, 2025 (Rosenberg interview) – In a live interview, Putin says Russia is ready to cease hostilities immediately provided its medium‑ and long‑term security guarantees are met, and he defends the foreign‑agent law as comparable to Western legislation [1].

Dec 19, 2025 (Marathon press conference) – Putin blends domestic questions with geopolitical statements, credits Russian forces with incremental gains, and signals openness to a peace settlement based on Kyiv’s withdrawal from Donbas, no NATO expansion, and a regime change in Ukraine; he also praises Trump’s diplomatic role while Europe delivers a $105 bn interest‑free loan to Kyiv [5].

Dec 19, 2025 – At his year‑end news conference, Putin reports that Russian troops advance across all sectors of the front line, reiterates demands for recognition of four occupied regions and Crimea, and warns that any NATO deployment in Ukraine would be a legitimate target [12].

Jan 15, 2026 – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov backs former President Trump’s claim that Ukraine blocks a peace deal, while Putin insists that security guarantees must be “universal, equal and indivisible” before Moscow will concede its goals; a Russian drone strike later damages a playground in Lviv with no casualties [11].

Jan 22, 2026 – Finnish President Alexander Stubb declares at a Davos panel that Putin has failed in every strategic aim—capturing Kyiv, preventing Ukraine’s EU trajectory, and avoiding NATO expansion to Finland and Sweden—while warning that Russia’s war costs are unsustainable and that the United States continues to seek a settlement despite disputes over territorial concessions [7].

Future (as of Jan 2026) – The United States has not set a date for envoy Steve Witkoff’s next visit to Moscow, leaving the timetable for any further diplomatic breakthroughs uncertain [11].