Putin is ready to discuss freezing war and ceasefire with Trump, but won't give up territories

Russian officials have said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is open to discussing a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine with Donald Trump, but rules out the liberation of occupied territories and insists that Ukraine abandon NATO.

Source: Reuters, citing five sources familiar with the Kremlin's opinion

Details: In the first detailed report on what Putin would accept in any Trump-brokered deal, five current and former Russian officials said the Kremlin could broadly agree to a freeze along the line of contact.

According to three of the sources, who wished to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive issues, there may be room for negotiations on the exact division of four eastern oblasts – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Moscow claims that these four oblasts are part of Russia.

Nevertheless, two Russian officials have said that Russia might be open to withdrawing troops from the relatively small areas of the territory it holds in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv oblasts.

Two sources said that US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to launch US ATACMS missiles deep into Russia could complicate and delay any settlement – and increase Moscow's demands.

Both sources stated that if a ceasefire is not agreed, Russia will continue to fight.

Quote from Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov: "Putin has already said that freezing the conflict will not work in any way. And the missile authorisation is a very dangerous escalation on the part of the United States."

More details: In total, Russia has seized more than 110,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine owns about 650 square kilometres of Russia's Kursk Oblast.

One source said that Putin might sell the ceasefire agreement within Russia, which left Russia holding most of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts and preserving the land bridge to Crimea, as a victory.

All those Russian officials claimed that the future of Crimea itself is not up for discussion.

One official, a senior source familiar with top-level discussions in the Kremlin, said the West would have to accept the "harsh truth" that all the support it had given Ukraine had failed to prevent Russia from winning the war. 

Support UP or become our patron!