European countries and Ukraine responded to Putin's ceasefire plan with a proposal that they believe should serve as a basis for future negotiations between Trump and Putin to gain momentum.

According to the publication, the European side rejected Russia's offer to exchange parts of the Donetsk region for a ceasefire.

Europe's goal is to establish a common red line with Ukraine, which, according to European officials, should apply to any potential negotiations with Russia.

"The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for more than three years. Europeans will also undoubtedly be part of the solution, because their security is at stake," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote.

The European proposal requires a ceasefire before any further action can be taken. It also stipulates that any territorial swaps can only be reciprocal, meaning that if Ukraine withdraws its troops from some regions, Russia must withdraw its troops from others.

"You cannot start the process by handing over territory during hostilities," said one of the European negotiators.

It is important to note that the European plan, which was presented to Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg, and Witkoff, also stipulates that any territorial concessions by Kyiv must be based on strong security guarantees, including Ukraine's possible membership in NATO.

The European plan was prepared and presented to the American side by top aides to European leaders. Vance attended the meeting, while most other American officials participated remotely via video link.

According to several officials familiar with the proposal Witkoff brought from Moscow, Putin said he would accept a ceasefire in exchange for Ukraine handing over about a third of the eastern Donetsk region, which is still under Kiev's control. Putin's request would freeze the front line in other areas, including the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which Russia currently claims as its own.

Several European officials briefed on Wednesday's meeting with Witkoff noted that Putin did not repeat his initial, tougher position that Ukraine should be demilitarized and its government changed, and that all of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, whose capitals are controlled by Ukraine, should be handed over to Russia.

Some European officials have also said that if Ukraine handed over the entire Donetsk region, Russia would have to withdraw its troops from the occupied Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in the south.

Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska on Friday

We remind you that Trump stated on Friday evening that he would meet with Putin on August 15 in Alaska. The details of the meeting were later confirmed by the Kremlin.

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, the President of the United States of America, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the great state of Alaska. More information to come," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov later confirmed the data, saying that"it is quite logical that our delegation will simply fly across the Bering Strait," which separates Russia and Alaska, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.

"Looking ahead, it would be natural for us to hold the next meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Russian territory. A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president," TASS quoted Ushakov as saying.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said a deal to end the war would likely include a"swap" of territory between Ukraine and Russia, calling the plans"very complicated."

The US president has said he plans to meet with the Russian president first and then expand the talks to a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the Kremlin has been reluctant to talk about a meeting between Putin and the Ukrainian president.

On Thursday, the Russian president said he believed a meeting with Zelensky was possible, but that the right conditions must be created for such negotiations, which he said were still far from being in sight.