Putin demands Zelensky surrenders Donetsk region as condition for ending war in Ukraine
Trump set to back Putin’s Donetsk demand in Ukraine war deal
- Vladimir Putin is demanding Ukraine surrender the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, become a neutral state, and abandon NATO aspirations as conditions for ending the war.
- During a nearly three-hour summit in Alaska, Putin presented these demands to Donald Trump, who reportedly endorsed them as a means to achieve peace.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet Donald Trump in Washington DC on Monday to clarify the situation, having previously rejected withdrawing from the Donbas region.
- Donald Trump has stated that a permanent peace deal is now the best way to end the conflict and has advised Mr Zelensky to make a deal with Russia.
- European leaders are pressuring Donald Trump not to accept Putin’s demands and support Ukraine’s need for security guarantees, with a "coalition of the willing" preparing to deter future Russian aggression.