Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender full control of Donetsk as a condition for ending the war, US newspaper The Washington Post reported.
The request, which would significantly disadvantage Kyiv, signals that Putin has not backed away from long-standing territorial ambitions despite Trump’s optimism about brokering a deal.
According to two senior officials quoted by The Washington Post, Putin offered to relinquish claims to parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in exchange for Donetsk, which Moscow and its proxies have failed to capture entirely since 2014.
Trump, who plans to meet Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks, has yet to endorse the demand publicly. The US president met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, urging to make a deal with Russia, and cooling down Kyiv’s hopes for Tomahawk missiles.
Zelenskyy on Sunday urged allies against appeasing Russia. “Ukraine will never grant terrorists any bounty for their crimes, and we count on our partners to uphold this very position,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media on his return from Washington.
He called for decisive steps from European and American allies.
“This week alone, Russia has used more than 3,270 attack drones, 1,370 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of various types against Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
(bms)
