FLASH
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Russia wants Ukrainian territory for peace, but has backed down from a previous drastic demand. Zelensky is under pressure...
For a peace deal in the Ukraine war, Russia is demanding the surrender of the Ukrainian regions of Donbas, Luhansk and Donetsk. In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky's government must give up NATO membership and not allow Western troops into the country. Also under discussion is a freeze of the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhia, a new approach that differs from Russia's previous maximum demands.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Donald Trump in Alaska a week ago about further action in Ukraine. It was only then that Volodymyr Zelensky and European heads of government, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arrived at the White House.
The US has so far supported Ukraine in its defense against Russia and has applied sanctions on Russia, but Trump has also consistently shown himself closer to Putin than his predecessor, Biden.
The meetings have sent mixed signals so far. After the Alaska summit, there was a vague picture of what the presidents of Russia and the United States had discussed. Trump initially stopped short of insisting on a ceasefire before peace negotiations. This corresponds to the official Kremlin line. Moscow fears that a ceasefire would be beneficial for the Ukrainian armed forces, which are on the defensive.
After talks with Zelensky and other European leaders, the participants largely agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine, including the possible presence of Western troops in the country. Possible territorial concessions were a topic of discussion in both talks. However, these are prohibited by both the Ukrainian constitution and international law. Zelensky has little room for negotiation here, even though he is under considerable military pressure.
Russia has so far demanded full control over Kherson and Zaporizhia. The Kremlin has already included both regions in the Russian constitution since 2022. If Putin now backs down and freezes the fronts in the oblasts, this would represent a new negotiating position and a concession to Ukraine's demands.
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