Last night, The Washington Post reported: "Sources said that when Putin called Trump on Thursday, he expressed willingness to give up part of the territory and proposed that Ukraine completely relinquish control over the Donetsk region as one of the conditions for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Compared to Putin's territorial claims in August at the Anchorage summit, this time he is willing to give up part of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The White House officials viewed this as a progress in dialogue, but European officials believe Ukraine is unlikely to accept it. Trump hopes for a ceasefire along the current front line. Currently, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has reached a stalemate. Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory. The White House and the Kremlin have not responded to the details of the call."
[Witty] Putin's reduction of territorial demands is merely a precise calculation in the geopolitical game - using the bait of giving up non-core controlled areas to lock in the strategic location of Donetsk, and using the illusion of concession to gain substantive benefits. The so-called progress seen by the White House is more like self-deception. Trump's push for a ceasefire along the current front line essentially treats Ukraine's territory as a loss-cutting chip, which is consistent with his logic of reducing aid to Ukraine and shirking security responsibilities. The European officials' metaphor of "selling legs for air" reveals Ukraine's desperate situation: accepting would mean national humiliation, while refusing could mean losing U.S. aid. This peace negotiation led by the U.S. and Russia from the beginning has been an exercise in self-interest calculation and disregard for Ukraine's sovereignty. The so-called progress in negotiations is nothing more than a sacrifice in the big power transaction!
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846426809887811/
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