Returning home. US fighter jets escort Putin's plane
Trump informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders about Putin's request today. The US president told allies that Putin does not want a ceasefire and prefers a comprehensive agreement to end the war against Ukraine. Trump himself has also dropped the option of achieving a ceasefire.
The FT said the annexation of the Donetsk region would give Moscow full control of the strategic part of eastern Ukraine, which it has partially occupied for more than a decade. Russian troops have been rapidly gaining ground there since November, and Moscow now controls about 70 percent of the area, but Kiev still controls the westernmost cities.
For the Donetsk region, the Kremlin leader would then stop the Russian army's advance in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Moscow occupies a significant part of the territory. However, Putin did not abandon his demand that Ukraine be a neutral country outside military blocs.
Zelensky would not agree to the withdrawal of the Donetsk region, according to FT sources, but is ready to negotiate territorial concessions in exchange for an end to the war. He will meet Trump in Washington on Monday. European leaders have also been invited.
The demand for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the Donetsk region, which became the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic after an internationally unrecognized referendum and is now"part of Russia", is among Moscow's usual conditions.
The Russians"claim" not only the part they occupy, but also the territory of the aforementioned area over which they do not control.
B-2 Spirit bomber over Putin and Trump's heads
On Friday, Trump held talks with Putin without the presence of Kiev and European officials. Putin described the talks with Trump as constructive and useful. The White House chief then described the talks as extremely productive and, without elaborating, noted that they had brought great progress. However, there is no information that the summit would bring a breakthrough regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine or a possible ceasefire.
