Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly demanding control over strategically important Ukrainian regions as a condition for peace, raising tensions across Europe, according to a European diplomat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that Moscow gain full control of the Donbas region and maintain a freeze along other front lines in exchange for ending the war in Ukraine—a plan reportedly supported by former President Donald Trump, a European diplomat told Fox News.
The Donbas region, located along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, had a pre-war population of roughly 6.5 million and includes the Luhansk and Donetsk areas. A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Trump encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider accepting Putin’s offer.
Following a meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump told European allies that the Russian leader reiterated his demand for the key Luhansk and Donetsk regions, while signaling openness to resolving the stalemate in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson through a freeze along the front lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected the idea of surrendering the territory in the Donbas.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any withdrawal from the remaining 30% of Donetsk still under Ukrainian control, citing constitutional constraints and concerns that the territory could serve as a staging ground for future Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
After his meeting with Putin, Trump shifted away from supporting a ceasefire, instead advocating for a broader peace agreement. Putin has consistently maintained that Moscow is not interested in a temporary truce but seeks a long-term settlement that secures the Kremlin’s strategic interests.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected the idea of surrendering the territory in the Donbas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
After calls with Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump said Saturday on social media that “it was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told ZDF television that Trump indicated Russia “seems to be prepared to conduct the negotiations based on the so-called line of contact and not the administrative boundaries.”
Following the call with Trump, leading European leaders released a statement that did not specify whether they favored a peace agreement over a ceasefire.
Trump reversed his support for a ceasefire and instead is seeking a peace agreement. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The European leaders said they “welcomed President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace.”
Putin described his meeting with Trump in Alaska as “very frank.”
“At the same time, we, of course, respect the position of the American administration, which sees the need for a speedy end to military actions,” Putin said during a follow-up meeting at the Kremlin, adding, “We would like to move to resolving all issues by peaceful means.