The armistice agreement at which the US and Russia work before the Trump-Putin summit. The reaction of the Ukrainian president
President Donald Trump, right, shakes his hand with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting in the G-20 summit margin in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. Credit Line: Susan Walsh / AP / Profimedia
Washington and Moscow intend to reach an agreement to stop the war in Ukraine, which would consecrate the Russian occupation on the territory conquered during the military invasion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, according to Reuters.
US and Russian officials work in the direction of an agreement on the territories for the summit for next week between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the publication said, citing people familiar with the subject.
A white house official said the Bloomberg article is a speculation. A Kremlin spokesman did not respond to the request to comment on the situation.
What did the President of Ukraine say
There were no immediate comments from the Ukrainian authorities. However, in a statement issued by the article-not mentioned-President Volodimir Zelenski said: “The United States are determined to achieve a ceasefire and we must support all constructive measures together. A dignified, reliable and sustainable peace can only be the result of our common efforts.”
Reuters mentioned that he could not check the details in the Bloomberg article for now.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims four Ukrainian regions-Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporojie and Herson-in addition to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. The Russian forces do not control the entire territory of the four regions.
Ukraine had signaled an availability to be flexible in the efforts to conclude the war that devastated the cities and killed a large number of soldiers and civilians. However, to accept to lose a fifth of the country's territory would be painful and political for Zelenski and his government.
Summit Trump-Putin Expected next week
After returning to the White House in January, Trump took measures to remedy relations with Russia and sought to end the war. In his public statements, he oscillated between admiration and harsh criticism of Putin.
As a sign of his frustration increasing than Putin's refusal to stop Russia's military offensive, Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions and rates starting on Friday against Moscow and countries buying his exports, unless the Russian leader agrees to end the conflict, after the Second World War.
With a summit envisaged between the two leaders in the next few days, it is not clear whether the sanctions will be implemented or postponed or canceled.
Fox News reported on Friday that the meeting between Trump and Putin could take place at the end of next week. Potential locations include Switzerland, Italy, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates, say the conservative journalists.
The Trump administration took a step on Wednesday to punish those who buy oil from Russia, imposing an additional 25% rate in India's goods due to its Russian oil imports. It was the first financial sanction against Russia that Donald Trump has in the second term at the White House.
Special American emissary Steve Witkoff spoke on Wednesday for three hours with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the discussions being described by both sides as a constructive.
On Friday, after a discussion with the President of Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a break in the Ukraine war could be close.
“There are certain signals and we also have an intuition that maybe a conflict freezing-I don't mean the end, but a conflict freezing-it's closer than it seems,” Tusk said in a press conference, quoted by The Guardian. “There are hopes for this,” added the Prime Minister of Poland.
