Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his readiness to discuss with US President-elect Donald Trump the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, Moscow does not intend to make significant territorial concessions and demands that Kyiv abandon its desire to join NATO. It is reported Reuters.
Trump, who promised a quick end to the conflict, is returning to the White House amid a strengthening of Russian positions. Russia currently controls an area of Ukraine the size of the US state of Virginia, continuing its offensive at the fastest pace since the 2022 invasion began.
According to sources, the Kremlin may agree to freeze the conflict on the current front line. At the same time, options for dividing the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, which Russia considers its own, but does not fully control, are being discussed.
In addition, Moscow may consider the possibility of concessions in some areas of the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions. However, the position regarding Crimea remains unchanged: this region will not be the subject of negotiations.
Putin insists that any agreement must take into account "realities on the ground" and fears a short-term truce that will allow the West to rearm Ukraine.
Ukraine, for its part, continues to insist on restoring control over its entire territory within the 1991 limits. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv will not make concessions until the last Russian soldier leaves Ukrainian soil.
The current US administration's decision to provide Kiev with long-range ATACMS missiles, which were recently used to strike Russian territory, may complicate the negotiation process. Moscow saw this as a "dangerous escalation" that the sources said could increase Russia's demands.
Some experts believe a cease-fire agreement could be reached quickly to stop a war that has killed scores of people. However, concluding a long-term contract that takes into account the interests of both parties seems extremely difficult.
Russia, which controls more than 110 sq. km of Ukrainian territory, insists that the conflict is a response to NATO expansion and Western interference in the sphere of Russian interests. Kyiv and its allies, for their part, consider the invasion a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty.
Among the conditions discussed are the permanent neutrality of Ukraine, international security guarantees and limitation of the number of Ukrainian armed forces. However, differences on key issues remain insurmountable.
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