Putin narrows his claims to Ukrainian territories, focusing on Donbas – media
According to Reuters sources, during a summit with Donald Trump in Alaska, Vladimir Putin narrowed his claims to Ukrainian territories, focusing on Donbas, while earlier he sought four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
"Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up all of the eastern Donbas region, renounce ambitions to join NATO, remain neutral and keep Western troops out of the country, three sources familiar with top-level Kremlin thinking told Reuters," the publication said on Thursday.
In exchange, the Kremlin is ready to maintain the current frontline in Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. "In essence, the Russian sources said, Putin has compromised on territorial demands he laid out in June 2024, which required Kyiv to cede the entirety of the four provinces Moscow claims as part of Russia: Dontesk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine – which make up the Donbas - plus Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south," the agency said.
In his new proposal, Putin is sticking to the demand for a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donbas that it still controls, three sources said. However, in return, Moscow would halt the current front lines in Zaporizhia and Kherson, they added.
According to the agency's sources, Moscow is also ready to hand over small parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, which it controls, as part of a possible deal.
"Putin is sticking, too, to his previous demands that Ukraine give up its NATO ambitions and for a legally binding pledge from the U.S.-led military alliance that it will not expand further eastwards, as well as for limits on the Ukrainian army and an agreement that no Western troops will be deployed on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force," the agency added, citing sources.