Russia would relinquish small areas of occupied Ukraine, while Kyiv would hand over large swaths of territory in the east that Moscow has been unable to capture, according to peace proposals discussed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting in Alaska, sources familiar with Moscow’s thinking told Reuters.
The discussion came one day after Trump and Putin met at an airbase in Alaska—the first meeting between a U.S. president and the Kremlin leader since the conflict in Ukraine began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss with Trump a potential resolution to the full-scale war that Putin initiated in February 2022.
Although the meeting did not secure the ceasefire that Trump said he sought, he told Sean Hannity of Fox News in an interview that he and Putin had discussed territorial transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and that they were “largely in agreement.”
“I think we are pretty close to a deal,” Trump said, adding: “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they will say ‘no.’”
Two anonymous sources said their understanding of Putin’s proposals was largely based on discussions among leaders in Europe, the U.S., and Ukraine, and they emphasized that the information was not complete.
Trump briefed Zelensky and European leaders on the discussions early Saturday.
It was not immediately clear whether Putin’s proposals were intended as an opening move to serve as a starting point for negotiations or more as a final offer not subject to discussion.
UKRAINIAN TERRITORY FOR PEACE
At first glance, at least some of the demands would present significant challenges for Ukraine’s leadership to accept.
Putin’s offer excluded a ceasefire until a comprehensive agreement was reached, blocking a key demand from Zelensky, whose country continues to be struck daily by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.
According to the proposed Russian agreement, Kyiv would fully withdraw from the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for a Russian pledge to freeze front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, the sources said.
Ukraine has already rejected any withdrawal from Ukrainian territory such as the Donetsk region, where its troops are fortified and which Kyiv says serves as a critical defensive structure to prevent deeper Russian attacks on its territory.
