Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled to the Trump administration that he is willing to end the three-year war in Ukraine — if Moscow is allowed to permanently take the Donbas region, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing European and Ukrainian officials briefed by President Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Putin reportedly presented the offer to Witkoff during their Wednesday meeting in Moscow, requesting full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions along with Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. While Russian forces already control most of Donetsk and Luhansk, pockets of Ukrainian resistance remain.
The proposal has raised concerns in European capitals, with some leaders suspecting it could be a move to avoid harsher economic retaliation from Trump — including secondary tariffs on Russian goods. They also question whether Putin would truly stop at Donetsk and Luhansk, or continue pushing for Zaporizhia and Kherson, two additional Ukrainian regions Russia has targeted.
Speaking from the White House Friday, Trump confirmed that preparations are underway for a summit with Putin, with a location already chosen. He said details would be announced soon but emphasized that no European leaders would be involved and that Putin must agree to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of the peace process.
“Putin, I believe, wants to see peace, and Zelensky wants to see peace,” Trump said, noting that the agreement would involve “some swapping” of territories. “It’s very complicated, but we’re going to get some back and we’re going to get some switched — to the betterment of both.”
Friday marked Trump’s original deadline for Russia to strike a deal, unless he opts to extend it. When asked if the deadline still stood, he replied, “We’re going to see what [Putin] has to say. It’s going to be up to him.”
The push for a settlement comes as Putin continues drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, with civilian areas still bearing the brunt of the conflict. Trump has been applying mounting pressure on the Kremlin, even repositioning two U.S. nuclear submarines last week after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Trump’s demands were a “step towards war.”
If successful, the talks would mark Trump’s most high-stakes peace negotiation yet — potentially ending one of the deadliest European wars in generations while reshaping the post-Cold War balance of power.
The post Putin Says He’ll End War With Ukraine With One Major Concession appeared first on Real News Now.
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