Vladimir Putin demanded this for Ukraine peace; Zelenskyy rejected it

Time of India

13 hours ago

At the Alaska summit with Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded full control of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a condition for ending the three-year war, signaling he would not back down from what he called his core demands to 'resolve the root causes' of the conflict, the Financial Times reported.
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In return, he agreed for halting the frontlines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where his troops control significant territory, and refrain from launching further offensives to seize additional land, the report said citing three people familiar with the talks.
Trump later communicated the message to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who is set to visit the States on Monday. Zelenskyy, however, rejected the demand, Reuters reported citing source.
Another diplomatic source said the US proposed offering Ukraine a 'non-Nato Article 5' security guarantee, a pledge of collective defense-style support without granting Nato membership, which was reportedly discussed and tentatively agreed with Putin.
What now?
While Trump has called for a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire deal, Zelenskyy called for strengthening sanctions on Russia if there was no trilateral meet.
He added that all issues concerning Ukraine "must be discussed with Ukraine's participation".
"In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the US. All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine's participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine," he said.
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Moreover, as a part of 'coalition of the willing', Britain, France, and Germany will host a video call with Ukraine's allies on Sunday to coordinate peace efforts, a day before Zelenskyy visits Washington following the US-Russia summit. They also backed the proposed three-way summit between Zelensky, Putin and Trump as the Alaska meet failed to deliver a ceasefire.