According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Washington and Moscow are working on a deal to end the war in Ukraine that would effectively secure Russia’s control over territories seized during its military aggression.
As Bloomberg reports, American and Russian representatives are already coordinating the territorial parameters of a potential agreement ahead of a planned meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — which could take place as early as next week. Sources say the US is trying to secure the support of Kyiv and its European allies, although the outcome of these efforts remains uncertain.
Moscow’s Demands and the Risk for Kyiv
According to the sources, Putin is demanding that Ukraine fully relinquish the Donbas region (Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts) and recognize Russian control over Crimea, annexed in 2014. This would mean that President Volodymyr Zelensky would have to order the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the remaining Kyiv-controlled parts of Donbas — a step that would hand Moscow a victory it has been unable to achieve militarily since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Such a scenario would represent a strategic success for the Kremlin, given its longstanding goal of holding direct negotiations with the US while sidelining Kyiv and Europe. Zelensky risks facing an ultimatum — either accept the loss of territory or reject the deal, which, European officials fear, could leave the EU in the role of monitoring a ceasefire while Russia rebuilds its forces.
According to the sources, Russia is ready to halt its offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along the current front line as part of the agreement. However, it remains unclear whether Moscow would agree to give up any of the territories it has seized, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe.
Truce Plans and Diplomatic Dynamics
The proposed agreement would effectively freeze the conflict and pave the way for a ceasefire and technical talks on a peace settlement. Earlier, the US had insisted that Russia first agree to an unconditional ceasefire to create conditions for discussing the future of peace.
Since returning to the White House in January with a pledge to quickly end Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, Trump has increasingly expressed frustration at Putin’s refusal to agree to a truce. According to Bloomberg, since February the two leaders have held six phone conversations, and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has met with Putin five times in Russia.
So far, Trump has not imposed direct measures against Moscow, but this week he doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, prompting a sharp reaction from India. The US president has demanded that Putin agree to a ceasefire by Friday, threatening to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow.
Kremlin’s Firm Position
Putin has repeatedly stated that his war goals remain unchanged. These include demands for Ukraine to adopt neutral status, abandon plans to join NATO, and recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and four other eastern and southern Ukrainian regions.
Parts of Donetsk and Luhansk have been under Russian occupation since 2014, when the Kremlin instigated armed unrest shortly after seizing Crimea. In September 2022, Putin declared that these four regions were “forever” part of Russia, even though Russian forces have never established full control over them.
Ukraine, for its part, has stated that it will not recognize the occupation and annexation of its territories, and that its Constitution does not allow the transfer of land to other states.
Possible Talks and Skepticism
Sources note that it is still unclear whether Putin would agree to take part in a meeting in the “Trump–Putin–Zelensky” format, even if he reached an agreement with the US president. This week, the Russian leader told reporters that he does not rule out meeting with Zelensky “under certain conditions,” but said those conditions do not currently exist.
In Washington and among its allies, skepticism remains over Putin’s readiness to truly halt the war and accept a compromise that falls short of his maximal goals.
Trump, however, said on Thursday that he was prepared to meet with Putin even without Zelensky’s participation:
“I don’t like long waits. They want to meet with me, and I will do whatever I can to stop the killing,” the US president told reporters in the Oval Office.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Russian and US officials are finalizing preparations for the meeting, having agreed on a venue without revealing its location.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the US had offered to recognize Crimea as Russian as part of a deal to halt the war and to effectively confirm Moscow’s control over parts of other Ukrainian regions. Under those earlier proposals, control over parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions would be returned to Ukraine.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Bloomberg. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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