Putin wants Ukraine to cede Donetsk, Luhansk as condition for ending war
Iran Press TV
Saturday, 16 August 2025 5:47 PM
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he would consider ending the war in Ukraine if Kyiv surrenders control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Moscow.
Putin announced the condition during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, according to statements on Saturday by four individuals who had direct knowledge of the talks.
The move would effectively give Moscow full control of territories it has been partially controlling for over a decade, as reports suggest Russian troops are currently advancing at their fastest pace since November.
In return for Ukraine's withdrawal from the two proposed regions, Putin has indicated that he would freeze the frontline in southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces currently control significant portions of the Ukrainian territory, and refrain from launching new attacks to seize additional territory, three sources familiar with the discussions in Alaska said.
The Russian leader further emphasized that he had not abandoned his fundamental demands to address the underlying reasons for the conflict, which would effectively result in the cessation of Ukraine's statehood as it exists currently and the reversal of plans by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to expand to the east.
However, he is willing to consider concessions on other matters, such as territory, provided that the underlying causes are adequately resolved, as stated by one of the sources, who is a former high-ranking Kremlin official.
Trump outlined Putin's demands in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of European leaders after their meeting in Alaska, urging them to cease efforts to secure a ceasefire from Moscow and instead try to work out a permanent peace deal.
Following discussions with European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that it was collectively decided that the most effective approach to conclude the intense war between Russia and Ukraine is to pursue a peace agreement rather than a mere ceasefire agreement.
Trump highlighted that ceasefire agreements frequently fail to endure, and said that there is a need for a more definitive resolution through a peace agreement.
"If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin," he said.
Trump and Putin emerged from a high-profile summit in Alaska on Friday, declaring their talks "productive," but without securing a deal on how to end the current conflict in Ukraine.
Trump last week suggested that there could be "some swapping of territories" as part of a ceasefire deal, but Zelensky later warned that Ukraine will not give up its land.
The summit has spurred fears that Ukraine's interests will not be represented in the negotiations.
Ukraine is reportedly doubling down on its demands for an unconditional ceasefire before moving ahead with any negotiations, retaining all territory it has captured, $1 trillion in reparations from Russia, NATO membership, and unconditional release of all prisoners.
Russia has formally claimed to annex four provinces in the east of the country: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson since 2022, in addition to annexing Crimea in 2014.
Russian forces currently have control over approximately 70 percent of Donetsk, with the westernmost chain of cities in the region still under Ukraine's control.
The majority of the westernmost area of Luhansk is under the control of Russian forces, with only a small portion of the territory remaining under Ukraine's control.
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