London talks mark breakthrough in Trump's effort to stop Russia-Ukraine war - Axios

Ravid, who quoted a US official, said today's meetings in London marked notable steps forward in advancing Trump's peace plan to settle the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"US official tells me 'today’s hours-long meetings produced significant progress toward President Trump's goal of bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, ahead of President Trump and President Putin's upcoming meeting in Alaska,'" the journalist wrote.

Trump schedules meeting with Putin

Last night, Donald Trump announced a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin set for August 15 in Alaska. The agenda will include discussions on the war in Ukraine.

Trump has previously suggested a possible territory swap between Ukraine and Russia.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin might agree to a full ceasefire if Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donetsk region. He reportedly conveyed this during a meeting with Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

However, Bild claimed Witkoff may have misinterpreted Putin. The Russian leader has not abandoned plans to secure full control over Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

Today, the Wall Street Journal noted that Putin could present an ultimatum on Ukraine during his meeting with Trump.

One official said Ukraine and European countries would likely reject the offer. This could give Putin a pretext to blame Ukraine for prolonging the war.

Reports also indicate the meeting was Putin’s idea, aimed more at pressuring Trump than achieving peace.

Advisers' talks in London

On August 9, Western and Ukrainian security advisers met in London to coordinate a joint position.

Following the talks, European countries and Ukraine presented a plan to end the war. It calls for a ceasefire before any other steps and mutual concessions from both sides.

The European side rejected Russia's proposal to trade Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk for a ceasefire.