Ukraine war could end on one condition if Zelenskyy…, Putin makes bold demand to Trump during Alaska Summit, says Donetsk…
The United States and Russia held the much-anticipated truce talks meeting in Alaska to discuss bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska “went really well”. He also held a telephonic conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, several European leaders, and the Secretary General of NATO, and highlighted that it was determined by all that a peace agreement is the best way going forward.
What condition could end the Ukraine war? – What is Putin demanding from Zelenskyy?
At the Alaska summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly asked that Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition to end the war; he offered to former President Donald Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the talks, as reported by the Guardian. While Luhansk is almost completely under Russian control, Ukraine still maintains strategic parts of Donetsk, including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, in addition to heavily fortified positions that have cost tens of thousands of lives to defend.
According to the media report, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders on Saturday to communicate Putin’s demand. He also urged Ukraine and Europe to drop efforts to secure a ceasefire from Moscow. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly and consistently rejected territorial concessions, and on Saturday, European allies confirmed this by highlighting that Ukraine’s borders should not be changed by force.
What is the status of Donetsk and Luhansk? Who controls these regions currently?
Russia has been in partial control of the Donetsk region for more than a decade. If Putin’s demand is met, he will get control of the territory where his forces have made the most gains in the war since November last year. Putin made it clear to Trump that his core demand of addressing ‘the root causes’ of the conflict still stands. He wants NATO’s eastward expansion to end, meaning Ukraine would not be allowed to join the alliance. But he is reportedly prepared to compromise on other issues, including territory, if he is satisfied that the “root causes” are addressed. It is to be noted that the Russian President also told Trump that if his core demands were met, he would be open to freezing the rest of the frontline, according to a media report.
Putin and Trump on Friday wrapped up their talks in the US city of Anchorage in Alaska, but no deal was reached. The talks, which lasted about three hours, focused primarily on the Ukraine crisis, as well as on reshaping bilateral relations that have largely stalled in recent years.
Putin told Trump that in exchange for Donetsk and Luhansk, he would halt further advances and freeze the frontline in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces occupy significant areas.
Russian forces control about 70 per cent of the Donetsk region. Ukraine still has control over the region’s westernmost chain of cities, which are said to be critical to Kyiv’s military operation and defences along the eastern front. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he would not swap territory with Russia and would not allow a second partition of the country. He is meeting Trump on Monday in Washington, where this topic will certainly come up.
(With agencies Inputs)
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