UK Reveals Deadly Reason Why Putin Wants Ukraine To Hand Over Unoccupied Land To End War
In its latest intelligence update on the conflict, the MoD said Russia would be forced to fight for more than four years and suffer nearly two million casualties if it had to fight for it.
The analysis came as Putin set out his peace plans at a summit with Donald Trump in Alaska.
According to the Reuters news agency, the proposed deal would see Ukraine fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in return for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
But the MoD said: 'Based on the rate of Russia's incremental battlefield advances so far in 2025, it would take Russian forces approximately 4.4 more years to gain 100% of the four Ukrainian oblasts' territory.
'Based on Russia's average daily casualty rate in 2025 so far, as reported by Ukrainian general staff, 4.4 more years of war would lead to approximately 1,930,000 further Russian casualties (killed and wounded).
'This is in addition to the approximately 1,060,000 casualties Russia has already likely sustained since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including around 250,000 killed or missing (presumed dead).'
After his talks with Putin, Trump told Fox News: 'I think we're pretty close to a deal. Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'.'
But speaking following talks with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels today, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: 'The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land. '
He said any such moves would need to be discussed at a three-way summit involving him, Putin and Trump.
Von der Leyen, also insisted that 'international borders cannot be changed by force'.
Related...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Delivers Blunt Message To Donald Trump After His Ukraine War U-Turn
Trump Floats Alternative After Failing To Secure Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Deal: 'Lives Will Be Saved'
Trump Writes Post About Moscow That's Absurd Even For Him
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Defends Putin Summit Against Media 'Major Defeat' Claims
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump dismissed criticism of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska as "fake news" Sunday night on Truth Social, saying the war in Ukraine could be ended "almost immediately" but critics were making it harder to do so. Trump also appeared to rule out any return of the Russian-occupied Crimea region or NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) membership for Ukraine. Why It Matters Critics have slammed Trump for providing Putin with red-carpet treatment in Alaska on Friday in exchange for seemingly little in the way of concessions. The meeting ended without any agreement on a ceasefire or peace deal, but Trump officials have talked up possible concessions made by the Russians, although details have yet to surface. Trump's comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to travel to Washington, D.C. on Monday to discuss with Trump a possible settlement of the war, which Putin launched in February 2022. Several European leaders are due to participate in the meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Andrew Harnik What To Know Trump rejected any suggestion that holding the summit on U.S. soil represented a defeat. "The Fake News has been saying for 3 days that I suffered a "major defeat" by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States. Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention!" the president said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was. These people are sick!" he said. The decision to hold the summit at Anchorage's Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson surprised many observers as previous suggestions indicated a third country, such as the United Arab Emirates, would host the two leaders' first meeting in six years. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, did not hold back on his assessment of the Trump-Putin summit, saying in a Sunday appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press that the meeting was a "disaster" that gave Russian Putin "everything he wanted." "The very unattractive (both inside and out!) Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, said "Putin got everything that he wanted." Actually, "nobody got anything," too soon, but getting close," Trump fired back in another Sunday Truth Social post. "Murphy is a lightweight who thinks it made the Russian President look good in coming to America. Actually, it was very hard for President Putin to do so. This war can be ended, NOW, but stupid people like Chris Murphy, John Bolton, and others, make it much harder to do so." In advance of his talks with Zelensky and his European allies, Trump appeared to rule out any chance that the Ukrainian leader would succeed in his long-held aims of getting back Crimea, which Russian forces occupied in 2014, or of membership of NATO. "No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump said. Kyiv has repeatedly said it is against the country's constitution to give land away to Moscow. One of Putin's fears is that Ukraine would become a member of NATO, expanding the U.S. and European footprint even more along the border of Russia. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday said the Russians had agreed to a "game-changing" concession, which would allow the U.S. to establish security guarantees modeled after NATO's Article 5 protections, which states that an attack against any member of NATO is an attack against all members of NATO—also known as the collective defense clause. Looking ahead to Monday's talks, Trump said: "Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!" What People Are Saying In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight." Senator Chris Murphy told NBC News: "It was a failure. Putin got everything he wanted…He was invited to the United States: War criminals are not normally invited to the United States of America." What Happens Next? Zelensky and several European leaders are due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Base Metals Drift as Traders Await Trump-Zelenskiy Meeting
Aluminum fell and copper was little changed as metals markets opened Monday on a cautious note before President Donald Trump's crunch talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukraine's president is due to meet Trump later Monday to decide on the next steps after a US-Russia summit ended without US sanctions or a ceasefire. Late Sunday in Washington, the US leader said in a social media post that Zelenskiy 'can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Asia stocks up, oil down before Trump-Zelensky talks
Asian stocks were mostly higher Monday while oil dipped ahead of talks between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders in Washington. US President Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, but the summit failed to yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Zelensky, who will be joined in Washington by European leaders, however called a US offer of security guarantees to Ukraine "historic". "Trump and Putin walked away without a ceasefire, without even the illusion of one," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. "What they did offer was theatre: enough 'progress' for Trump to declare victory and quietly holster his double-barreled threat -- tariffs on Beijing for buying Russian barrels and sanctions on Moscow's crude," Innes said. Before the Alaska talks, US stocks wavered on Friday after mixed economic data, with retail sales up but an industrial production index and a consumer survey both down. Oil prices, which have been volatile for several days -- Russia is a major crude producer -- fell back on Monday, adding to a drop on Friday. Japan's Nikkei was up, posting a new record high and adding to gains on Friday after better-than-expected economic growth data. The Hang Seng, Shanghai, and Sydney were also higher while Taipei fell back. This week investor eyes will be on any clues on US interest rates at the Federal Reserve's annual retreat at Jackson Hole. - Key figures at around 0130 GMT - Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 43,678.12 Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 25,293.34 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,704.76 New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 44,946.12 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 9,138.90 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1699 from $1.1704 on Friday Pound/dollar: DOWN $1.3556 at from $1.3557 Dollar/yen: UP at 147.47 yen from 146.85 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.30 pence from 86.34 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $62.69 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $65.65 per barrel burs-stu/fox Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
