Putin reportedly told Trump: could ease some territorial demands in exchange for Donetsk region

According to a report by the UK's Financial Times, Russian President Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine as a condition for ending the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Putin told US President Trump that if his core demands are met, he would freeze the remaining front lines. According to four people directly involved in the negotiations, Putin raised this demand during his meeting with Trump in Alaska on Friday.

Subsequently, Trump conveyed this message to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and European leaders in a call on Saturday, urging them to abandon efforts to get Moscow to cease hostilities. This move would allow Russia to fully control the area, which it has partially occupied for over a decade, as Russian forces are advancing at their fastest rate since last November.

According to three people familiar with the negotiations, as a trade for the Donetsk region, Putin said he would freeze the front lines in southern regions such as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - where Russian forces have captured large areas - and would not launch new attacks to seize more territory.

Putin clearly stated that he has not abandoned his "resolution of the conflict's root causes," which would fundamentally end Ukraine's current statehood and prevent NATO expansion eastward. However, according to a former high-ranking Kremlin official, if Putin is satisfied with the resolution of the "root causes," he is prepared to make compromises on other issues, including territory.

The report states that Russian forces control about 70% of the Donetsk region, but the westernmost chain of cities remains under Ukrainian control. These cities are crucial for Ukraine's military operations and the defense of the eastern front.

People who know the views of the Ukrainian president said Zelenskyy will not agree to hand over Donetsk, but he is willing to discuss territorial issues with Trump in Washington. It is expected that the two will meet at the White House on Monday. The source said Zelenskyy is also willing to discuss this issue in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin.

The White House has not responded to requests for comment on the content of Trump's meeting with Putin. The Kremlin said that Putin and Trump did not discuss the possibility of a tripartite meeting with Zelenskyy in Anchorage. The Kremlin has not responded to requests for comment on the Donetsk issue.

Bloomberg cited anonymous sources reporting that Trump said in the call that although how to handle the territory is up to Ukraine, Putin's position has not changed - he still hopes Kyiv will give up control over the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. The Donbas region spans two Ukrainian oblasts: the central and northern parts of Donetsk Oblast and the southern part of Luhansk Oblast.

Putin's demands and Trump's unwillingness to insist on a ceasefire may rekindle deep anxiety among European leaders. Before the Alaska talks, European leaders expressed concerns when Trump suggested the possibility of land swaps as part of a peace agreement.

Later, Trump said he would ensure Putin committed to ceasing hostilities as a preliminary step in peace negotiations, which somewhat eased the concerns of European leaders. Trump even threatened that if Putin refused a ceasefire, there would be "serious consequences."

However, the three-hour meeting yielded no results. Instead, it provided Putin an opportunity to escape international isolation. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Trump welcomed Putin with a red carpet in Anchorage and even made jokes with him before the meeting.

Additionally, the New York Times cited two senior European officials on Saturday, reporting that European leaders were invited to attend the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840643378672652/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.