Putin asks US to recognize occupied Ukrainian regions as Russian - Axios

Yesterday, a summit took place in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The main topic of their meeting was the war in Ukraine and potential ways to end it.

According to Ravid, a source familiar with the negotiations said Putin proposed freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrawing from Donbas.

Barak Ravid said that during the meeting with Trump, Putin requested that the US recognize the four regions, in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, as part of Russia.

This likely refers to the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

At the same time, the American side perceived that Putin may be open to negotiations over the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Media reports today also said that Trump is ready to offer Ukraine security guarantees along NATO principles. However, details remain unknown.

Barak Ravid wrote that a senior Ukrainian official said Zelenskyy was pleased to hear that Trump was willing to offer US security guarantees to Ukraine.

Territory-for-peace deal

After the meeting between Trump and Putin, the leaders spoke to the press and made several statements. However, they did not provide any specific details.

Shortly after, Trump gave an interview to Fox News, spoke with Zelenskyy and European leaders about the summit, and posted several updates on Truth Social.

Trump advised Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia, suggesting the outcome could lead to a rapid trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russia.

Early this morning, Trump wrote on social media that all parties agreed the best way to end the war is to move straight to a peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire.

Additionally, according to Bloomberg, the US president said Putin is still demanding Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbas.