The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, demanded from the administration of US President Donald Trump, among the conditions being set to stop the bloody clashes in Ukraine, that Kyiv hand over the Donbas region to Russian control. This was reported on August 8 by The Wall Street Journal, citing European and Ukrainian government sources.
According to reports, Putin said that if Kyiv withdraws its troops from Donetsk region, he would agree to a complete ceasefire. After that, the issue of freezing the front line was planned to be implemented. Later, it was noted that the Russian leader intended to discuss the final peace agreement with Trump, and then to discuss this plan with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in this case Russia would retain control over Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula annexed in 2014. Putin’s demand emphasized that apart from stopping military actions, Russia would not take on any additional obligations.
Axios sources also confirmed this — if Ukraine were to hand over the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which are mostly under Russian forces’ control, as well as Crimea, Moscow expressed readiness to end military operations.
In addition, Putin proposed freezing the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along the borders of the territories annexed by Russia in 2022. Later, it was said that Russia intended to negotiate with Ukraine on territorial exchanges, as a result of which it would gain full control over the two regions mentioned above. Which territory Ukraine would receive in return is still unclear.
Sources emphasized that Putin conveyed his conditions on August 6 during negotiations in Moscow through US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Later, Witkoff and Trump informed allies in Europe and the Ukrainian leadership about these demands through several phone calls.
European and Ukrainian officials are concerned that Putin could use this proposal as a strategic trick to avoid new economic restrictions and tariffs from the US and to prolong the war for a long time.
According to The Economist, Putin also proposed a ceasefire in air and water territories. In addition, according to sources, a broad package of agreements is being worked on, which should define the exact form of freezing the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address on the morning of August 9, made a firm statement that the Ukrainian people “will not give their land to the invader.” According to him, the country’s territorial issue is written in the Constitution, which does not allow the president to consent to any territorial changes.
“No one will retreat from this and cannot retreat. We will not give up our land. Ukraine is ready to offer the world real, practically working peace solutions. But any decisions made without us are steps against peace. They will never produce results. What we need is real, lasting peace,” Zelensky said.
He also expressed his readiness to continue cooperation with European countries and US President Donald Trump, and for the first time responded to reports that the peace agreement project being discussed between Russia and the US included an issue of territorial exchange.
The White House, “out of respect for delicate diplomatic processes,” refused to comment on the speculations in the media. The Kremlin also did not answer journalists’ questions.
Later, according to the WSJ report, Ukraine and European states presented their peace plan to the US. According to it, both states must first cease fire, territorial exchanges should only be carried out on a mutual agreement basis, and if Kyiv makes any territorial concessions, it must receive strict security guarantees, including NATO membership.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump plan to hold a meeting on August 15 in Alaska. The US President then expressed hope that a trilateral meeting with the participation of Putin and Zelensky would be organized. Russia has not yet agreed to such a format.
According to CBS News, there is a possibility that Zelensky may somehow participate in the negotiations in Alaska. Trump said he believes in the possibility of holding such a trilateral meeting.
On August 8, the deadline set by Trump for Putin to cease fire in Ukraine expired. If this condition is not met, the US President had threatened to impose new tariffs on Russia’s trading partners. So far, he has only imposed a 50 percent tariff on goods imported from India to the US.
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