USA, Russia plan to sign ceasefire deal to consolidate Putin's gains in Ukraine
Washington and Moscow are seeking to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine that would consolidate Russia's occupation of territories seized during the invasion, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg has said on Friday.
"US and Russian officials are working toward an agreement on territories for a planned summit meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as early as next week, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The US is working to get buy-in from Ukraine and its European allies on the deal that is far from certain," the people said.
According to the agency, Putin is demanding that Ukraine hand over to Russia all of eastern Donbas, as well as Crimea, which his troops illegally annexed in 2014, which would require Ukraine to withdraw troops from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions still held by Kyiv, giving Russia a victory that its army has been unable to achieve militarily.
"Such an outcome would represent a major win for Putin, who has long sought direct negotiations with the US on terms for ending the war he started by sidelining Ukraine and its European allies. Zelensky risks being presented with a take-it-or-leave-it deal to accept the loss of Ukrainian territory, while Europe fears it would be left to monitor a ceasefire as Putin rebuilds his forces," the publication said.
Russia will halt offensive operations in Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhia regions along current front lines as part of the deal, the sources said. They cautioned that the terms and plans of the deal are still being worked out and could change. It is unclear whether Moscow is prepared to give up any territory it currently occupies, including the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment.
Ukraine declined to comment on the proposals.