Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a new demand on Ukraine during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on October 16, the Washington Post reported.
According to the publication, Putin demanded a complete withdrawal of the Donetsk region from Ukraine as a condition for the cessation of hostilities. In return, he expressed his readiness to return parts of the territories occupied by the Russian army in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
According to the newspaper's analysis, these demands indicate that the Kremlin's position has softened somewhat in recent months. Sources in Washington have assessed this as a potential diplomatic "progress."
High-ranking European diplomats emphasized the need for a sharp rejection of this proposal. They emphasized that if Kyiv agrees to such a condition, "it will sell its sovereignty for nothing."
The Wall Street Journal noted that the Trump administration has increased diplomatic pressure on Ukraine. According to the publication, Washington is trying to persuade Kyiv to reach an unconditional agreement on the eve of new negotiations with Russia. At the same time, some members of the US government admitted that they are currently refraining from taking drastic measures on sanctions against Moscow.
According to US sources, this pressure is mainly directed at the Ukrainian side. This situation was also evident during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent visit to Washington, where Kyiv did not have a clear guarantee of receiving Tomahawk cruise missiles.
It was reported that the conversation between Putin and Trump lasted two hours, and at the end of it, the leaders of the two countries agreed to meet face-to-face in Budapest within two weeks.
The day after the Orda, on October 17, Trump personally spoke with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House. The main topic of the conversation was the issue of supplying weapons to Kyiv. According to Axios, Trump has not yet made a decision on this matter and has stated that he has focused primarily on a diplomatic solution. Zelenskyy replied, "Trump said neither 'yes' nor 'no'."
Thus, the telephone conversation between the leaders of the two countries shows that the negotiations around Ukraine have entered a new direction. But for Kyiv, there is no clear solution yet - every step in diplomacy remains a difficult test.
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