Trump and Putin converse about territorial concessions Ukraine might make
The stage is set for a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska. However, the looming meeting comes amidst a complex web of territorial disputes and ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Russia has been gradually advancing in the Donetsk region, but any withdrawal would mean Ukraine would have to abandon several well-fortified cities. The Russian army is reportedly demanding Ukraine to cede control of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson oblasts, and Crimea as prerequisites for any ceasefire or peace agreement. These demands, according to US and Russian reports, are unconditional and include areas not fully occupied by Russian forces. Ukraine, backed by the US and Western allies, has rejected these demands, insisting that any territorial negotiations must be made by Ukraine itself.
The current situation in Ukraine is far from resolved. Ukraine currently holds only a few square kilometers in Luhansk, while the Ukrainian army still controls a quarter of the territory in the Donetsk region. This could refer to small Russian army bridgeheads in the Ukrainian frontline regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
The conflict, which began in 2014, has taken a toll on the Ukrainian population, who are war-weary after three and a half years of relentless Russian attacks. Ceding territory could spark severe internal political turmoil.
Trump has put pressure on Ukraine rather than Russia as the aggressor. He has hinted at the hurdles of Ukrainian constitutional politics as a barrier to resolving the conflict. The White House initially planned a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the Trump-Putin summit, but Moscow excluded Zelensky from a second proposed meeting in Russia.
Zelenskyy has criticized the choice of Alaska as the venue for the Trump-Putin summit, stating that Ukraine should be involved in decisions regarding the war. Despite this, Trump has been vague about an exchange of territories currently held by either Russian or Ukrainian troops, but did not provide details.
As the summit approaches, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, the stark contrast in proposed territorial concessions and the insistence on Ukrainian sovereignty by both Russia and Ukraine's Western allies suggest a long and difficult road ahead.
- The ongoing political tensions related to Ukraine's conflict with Russia, often reported as part of general news and war-and-conflicts coverage, are escalating, as evidenced by the unconditional demands made by the Russian army for Ukraine to cede control of several territories.
- The forthcoming summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska is significant, but it raises concerns in light of the current state of territorial disputes and the unwillingness of both Ukraine and its Western allies to agree to the proposed territorial concessions.
