“It's like selling your own leg for nothing.” The condition put by Putin in the latest discussion with Trump
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP / Profimedia
Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine relinquish full control of the Donetsk region, a strategic area in eastern Ukraine, as a condition for ending the war in a phone call with US President Donald Trump this week, two senior US officials said, The Washington Post quoted two senior US officials as saying.
According to the quoted source, Putin has indicated that he is willing to give up parts of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, both partially occupied by Russian forces, in exchange for full control over Donetsk, writes The Kyiv Independent.
Some White House officials described the proposal as “progress,” while a senior European diplomat warned that Ukraine might view the proposal in a very different light.
“It's like selling your own leg for nothing,” the European diplomat said.
Putin's demand would significantly disadvantage Ukraine and could be an obstacle to peace, the officials said, as cited by WaPo.
The American publication notes that Putin has tried unsuccessfully to capture Donetsk for 11 years, having been repeatedly repulsed by Ukrainian forces, an area that Kiev considers an important bulwark against Russia's rapid westward advance toward the capital.
Trump did not make the Kremlin's request public, but after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, he urged both sides to “stop the killing and come to an agreement.”
The development marks a shift from Putin's previous position in April, when he rejected a US proposal to freeze hostilities along the current front lines and insisted instead that any peace deal must give Russia full control of Crimea, plus the four regions that are currently partially occupied: Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are to meet in Budapest, according to the head of the White House, who estimated that the summit will take place in “the next two weeks”.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday that he had spoken with US Foreign Minister Maro Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, adding that preparations for the Trump-Putin summit were underway.
