In a last-minute demand during the Alaska summit with Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted on complete control of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk territories as the price for stopping the three-year conflict, indicating he would not give up what he characterized as his key goals to "address the underlying causes" of the war, the Financial Times reported.
In return, Putin allegedly agreed to stop the frontlines in southern provinces, such as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—territories controlled by Russian troops—and not carry out further offensives to seize more territory, the report quoted three sources close to the negotiations.
Trump later passed on the request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will come to the United States on Monday. Zelenskyy declined the request, Reuters said.
Yet another diplomatic source disclosed that the US had offered Ukraine a "non-NATO Article 5" security guarantee—a collective defense-style of support without membership in NATO—which was discussed and tentatively agreed upon with Putin, according to reports.
Though Trump has been adamant that a peace deal is better than a ceasefire, Zelenskyy has urged more sanctions on Russia in the event of a failure to hold a trilateral meeting. He underlined that all issues related to Ukraine "must be discussed with Ukraine's participation."
"In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the US. All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine," he said.
As part of a "coalition of the willing," the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will host a video conference with Ukraine's allies on Sunday to identify peace initiatives before Zelenskyy's trip to Washington, to follow the US-Russia summit. The three countries also indicated support for the proposed trilateral summit between Zelensky, Putin, and Trump, after the Alaska meeting failed to achieve a cease-fire.
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