Trump plans to convene with Putin in Alaska, hinting at potential territorial concessions from Ukraine
In a series of high-stakes diplomatic discussions, US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have been exploring potential peace deals for Ukraine. The proposed agreements, which have been the subject of much debate, involve significant territorial concessions from Ukraine.
According to reports, Putin has demanded full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while Trump's proposed plan would see Ukraine cede unconquered territory to Russia in exchange for a potential freeze of the conflict lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Russia currently has some but not full control.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected any territorial concessions, emphasizing that he is bound by Ukraine's constitution. However, Zelensky has not ruled out discussing territorial issues in a trilateral meeting involving himself, Trump, and Putin.
The proposed peace deal also includes Russia's demand for security guarantees that exclude Ukraine from NATO membership. This demand is a key concern for Russia, as it sees NATO's eastward expansion as an existential threat. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to pursue its aim to join NATO, despite these Russian demands.
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. Russian forces have struggled to capture critical Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk region despite a summer offensive.
Trump's comments about land being exchanged came ahead of a planned meeting in the UK involving British foreign secretary David Lammy and US vice-president JD Vance to discuss Ukraine. The discussion of territorial concessions has been met with resistance from both Western and Ukrainian officials.
A recent Gallup poll indicates that 69% of Ukrainians favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, a nearly complete reversal from public opinion in 2022. Despite this, most Ukrainians are not prepared to formally concede territory in exchange for peace, according to polls.
The developments in the diplomatic discussions between Trump and Putin have been the subject of much debate and concern, with Zelensky warning that any meeting between Trump and Putin that sidesteps Kyiv could undermine Kyiv's diplomatic principle. Trump has announced a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15, and Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, mentioned intensive development of the parameters for the summit.
In summary, the proposed peace deal in Ukraine involves Russia's demand for full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while Trump's proposed plan would see Ukraine cede unconquered territory to Russia in exchange for a potential freeze of the conflict lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The deal also includes Russia's demand for Ukraine's permanent exclusion from NATO. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any territorial concessions, but has not ruled out discussing territorial issues in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin.
The proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, as discussed by President Trump and Vladimir Putin, involves Ukraine potentially ceding unconquered territory to Russia, particularly in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, in exchange for a potential freeze of conflict lines. This deal also includes Russia's demand for Ukraine's permanent exclusion from NATO, a point of concern for both Western and Ukrainian officials. Despite a recent Gallup poll indicating that most Ukrainians favor a negotiated end to the war, formal territorial concessions are not widely supported among the Ukrainian public.
