Report Reveals Putin's 'Offer' to Trump Regarding Ceasefire

SadaNews - Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that he could concede some territorial demands in exchange for control over the Donetsk region.

During the "Alaska Summit," Putin proposed a freeze on the lines of combat if Ukraine withdraws from this vital area in the east.

Putin's Offer

The Russian president demanded Ukraine's withdrawal from Donetsk as a condition for ending the war, but he informed Trump that he might freeze the rest of the combat fronts if his basic conditions were met, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Trump later relayed the message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and to European leaders in a call on Saturday, urging them to stop their attempts to persuade Moscow to accept a ceasefire agreement.

This would give Moscow full control over a region it has occupied parts of for more than a decade, and its forces are witnessing the fastest pace of advance there since last November.

In exchange for Donetsk, Putin stated he would freeze combat lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions to the south, where his forces control vast areas, and he would not launch new attacks to seize more territory, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

Putin emphasized that he had not retreated from his core demands to "address the root causes" of the conflict, which effectively meant ending Ukrainian sovereignty in its current form and halting NATO's eastward expansion. However, he expressed a willingness to compromise on other issues, including territory, if those "root causes" were addressed, according to a former senior Kremlin official.

Russian Military Control

Russian forces control about 70 percent of Donetsk, while the western chain of cities remains under Ukrainian control and is crucial for their military operations and defenses on the eastern front.

Sources familiar with Zelensky's position indicated he would not accept conceding Donetsk, but he is open to discussing the land issue with Trump in Washington, where they are scheduled to meet on Monday. They also noted that Zelensky might agree to discuss the matter in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the content of Trump's talks with Putin. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Call to Europe

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump urged European leaders to stop seeking a ceasefire from Putin, advising Zelensky to "make a deal" with Russia.

Trump wrote on the "Truth Social" platform following his call with European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron: "It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to reach a direct peace agreement that ends the war, rather than just a ceasefire agreement that often collapses." He added, "If things go as expected, we will set a date to meet with President Putin."

The Kremlin stated that Putin and Trump did not discuss any trilateral meeting with Zelensky in Anchorage and did not comment on the issue of Donetsk.

Lack of Reassurance in the West

Russia's demand and Trump's reluctance to insist on a ceasefire are likely to raise deep concerns among European leaders, who expressed fears before the Alaska Summit when the US president hinted at the possibility of territorial exchanges within a peace agreement.

European leaders felt some reassurance when Trump promised them to obtain a commitment from Putin to halt hostilities as a first step toward negotiations, even threatening "serious consequences" if Putin refused.

However, the three-hour meeting did not yield that outcome; instead, it provided Putin with an opportunity to break his international isolation. Trump welcomed him in Anchorage with a red carpet and appeared to be joking with him before the talks began.