【Is Putin Proposing New Ceasefire Conditions to Trump?】
Two senior officials with knowledge of the matter have revealed that Putin proposed new conditions for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire during previous calls with Trump. Although still involving land exchanges, the specific details have changed. Putin proposed using parts of the Russian-controlled areas in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in exchange for Ukraine fully handing over Donetsk, thereby ending the conflict entirely.
According to The Washington Post, Putin's latest proposal represents a slight retreat compared to his territorial claims made during the August Alaska summit. According to insiders, some White House officials view this as "progress," expecting new developments from the upcoming "two-Putin" meeting in Budapest. However, a senior European diplomat believes that Ukrainians, as the parties involved, will not see Putin's new proposal as "progress." It is hard to imagine them giving up Donetsk, which Putin has failed to capture after years of fighting. Additionally, it remains unclear how Europe will perceive Putin's new proposal.
Western strategic scholars generally believe that Donetsk involves Ukraine's "strong defensive line," making it hard to imagine Europe and Ukraine abandoning this territory.
If Putin were to offer control of Kharkiv or Sumy as an exchange, that would be quite credible. However, if he offers parts of the territories under Russian control in Kherson and Zaporozhye, it is highly questionable, as Kherson involves the Dnipro River defense, and Zaporozhye involves the "Surovikin Line." When Witkow visited Moscow for negotiations earlier, he also conveyed this message to Europe, but later it turned out that Witkow misunderstood Putin's intention. This time, there is also a possibility of misunderstanding.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846394834267145/
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