Efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine have highlighted a key demand from Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed by former U.S. President Donald Trump to Ukrainian President Zelensky: the transfer of the Donetsk province. Putin suggested this would result in a major pullback of Russian forces. Following a summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump relayed this information to Zelensky, who refused the proposal.
Russia currently occupies approximately a fifth of Ukraine, including a large portion of the Donetsk province, where its forces initially entered in 2014. Trump supports a peace agreement ahead of any ceasefire, a sentiment shared by Putin.
The Alaska meeting on August 15th involved approximately three hours of private discussions between Trump and Putin concerning the war, but no ceasefire was announced. The leaders subsequently held a press conference, during which they did not address any questions from the press. Trump described the talks as positive, acknowledging some disagreements, but without specifying the issues of contention. Trump later posted on Truth Social that the best route to end the war would be through a direct peace agreement, rather than a ceasefire alone.
Russia has welcomed Trump’s preference for a complete peace deal instead of just a ceasefire, although achieving this faces challenges due to the opposing positions of both sides. The Russian military has been steadily advancing over several months. The ongoing conflict is regarded as one of Europe’s most brutal in the past 80 years, with casualties exceeding one million.
Prior to the Alaska summit, Trump stated his aim to secure a ceasefire. He subsequently announced a meeting with Zelensky on Monday, followed by a possible meeting with Putin, contingent on the outcome of the Zelensky talks. Zelensky will also be meeting with Trump in Washington, with sources indicating that European leaders have also received invitations. Zelensky expressed his readiness to meet with Putin, though Putin has yet to indicate a change in Russia’s war stance, and has not publicly commented on a meeting with Zelensky.