Vladimir Putin is hoping to grab as much land as possible from Ukraine ahead of any ceasefire or peace deal with Donald Trump remaining coy over what guarantees he will offer Kyiv
Russian despot Vladimir Putin has named his price to bring an end to the war in Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for his showdown with Donald Trump.
Putin appeared willing to end the bloodshed at a steep price according to reports, namely demanding full control of Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition toward peace. In exchange for the two occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, he would surrender other territories held by his troops in the country.
Several outlets have reported Trump is inclined to support the plan and will discuss Putin’s price with Zelensky when they meet in the Oval Office on Monday. European leaders will wait in apprehension, hoping the meeting will avoid any confrontation like the spat between Zelensky and Vice President JD Vance earlier this year.
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Following the Alaska summit on Friday, Trump told Fox News it was up to the Ukrainian president to “make a deal” to bring an end to the war. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer commended Mr Trump’s “pursuit of an end to the killing” following a phone call with the US President, Zelensky and Nato allies on Saturday morning.
The UK leader did stress Zelensky should not be excluded from future talks to broker a peace in Ukraine. Starmer and other European leaders appear increasingly confident Trump will offer a “security guarantee” of air support to back up allied troops on the ground in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister welcomed “the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.”
Trump did appear to have a change of heart on what he wants to achieve from the talks, indicating that he wants a permanent peace settlement rather than a ceasefire. Posting on TruthSocial, the US president said: “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
Putin described the meeting as “timely” and “useful” after leaving Alaska. Experts warned the meeting on US soil risked legitimising the Russian leader after he has been made a pariah by the international community following his invasion of Ukraine.
Dr Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), said: “Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war. He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.”
Zelensky warned Russia may ramp up its strikes against his country in the coming days “in order to create more favourable political circumstances for talks with global actors.” Kyiv’s troops are “defending our positions along the entire front line”, he added on social media site X.
The Ukrainian leader earlier insisted a ceasefire must include an end to fighting on land, in the sea and the air, as well as returning all prisoners of war and captured civilians, including children. Sanctions on Moscow “should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war”, Zelensky added.