Putin presses Trump on Donetsk, offers to freeze South front: Reports
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At the Alaska summit, Vladimir Putin urged Donald Trump to accept Ukraine's withdrawal from Donetsk in exchange for freezing fighting in southern regions, though no deal was reached.
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Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska to push for territorial concessions in Ukraine, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Citing four people familiar with the discussions, the paper said Putin demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region as a condition for ending the war. In exchange, the Russian leader suggested he could freeze the frontlines in southern areas, including Kherson and Zaporozhye, if Moscow's "core demands" were met.
The Alaska summit, held on Friday, was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Trump's return to the White House, with territorial issues at the center of the discussions and suggestions of a possible halt to fighting in other contested regions if Russia’s demands were acknowledged.
Push for Peace Framework
The discussions went beyond territorial issues. According to reports, Trump advocated for a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire, telling European partners that "a Peace Agreement… and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up" was the only viable path forward. The approach diverges from the stance taken by Kiev and several EU capitals, who view any territorial trade-offs as unacceptable.
Putin, for his part, has repeatedly affirmed that a lasting settlement must address the "root causes" of the war, including NATO's role in Eastern Europe and Ukraine's political alignment.
Although the meeting produced no formal deal, both leaders described the exchange as productive. Trump called the talks "very productive," while Putin, speaking to senior officials in Moscow on Saturday, characterized the Alaska visit as strategically important. "The visit was timely and extremely useful," he said. He added that Russia respects the US's position on the Ukraine conflict, which he said Moscow seeks to end peacefully.
Read more: Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington Monday
No Agreement Yet, But Diplomatic Shift
Despite the absence of a signed accord, the summit is being interpreted as a potential turning point. For Moscow, it provided an opportunity to test US willingness to accept territorial changes, while for Washington it signaled Trump's interest in pursuing a peace framework that could reshape the Western approach to the war.
European leaders and Ukraine, however, have expressed unease at being sidelined in the process, with concerns that any US-Russia deal made without Kiev could undermine the legitimacy of future peace efforts.
