The subject of territory concession is a key point of negotiationwhich are held in the face of Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin In Alaska.
US president’s expert envoy Steve Whitkov revealed in an interview with CNN that Moscow and Putin reportedly made “some concessions” about five critical Ukrainian areas during the negotiations, which are “at the core”.
According to the BBC, the areas Crimea, Luhank, Donetsk, Zaporizia and Peninsula They have been at the heart of the war and Russian interest since 2014. Russia took Crimea in the spring of that year, while the other four areas were annexed in 2022, after referendums that the international community did not recognize, considering the pretexts.
Donbas and Russian strategy
One of the key areas Putin wants is the Donbasthe industrial area of eastern Ukraine consisting of Donetsk and Luhank. The area, in which citizens speak mainly Russian, was the first field of war controversy when Russia, after the annexation of Crimea, reinforced armed groups that occupied parts of the two regions.
In 2022, shortly before the invasion, Putin unilaterally recognized the “independence” of the entire Donetsk and Luhank areas, even transcending the boundaries imposed by pro -Russian administrations.
What does the “freeze” proposal contain the front line
According to information reported by the Financial Times, Bloomberg and Reuters on Saturday, the Russian president suggested to Donald Trump to “freeze” war operations along the front line, Provided that Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski will deliver Donbas’ complete control to Moscow.
This would mean practically concession of Ukrainian territories in which the Russian army has failed to gain control.
This proposal also includes the preservation of Russian control in Zaporizia and Hersona, areas of high strategic importance in the South, as well as Crimea, which Moscow considers a “performed event”.
Witten statements
“The Russians made some concessions on the table about these five areas,” Witkov said, adding that “Donetsk is a crucial issue that will be discussed tomorrow.”
He believes that the Talks to the White House, in the presence of Trump and Zelenski, will lead to “decisions on the spot”.
The placement of Trump’s envoy comes to reinforce the scenarios of an informal “exchange agreement” that could ensure a fragile truce, but without resolving the fundamental differences between Kiev and Moscow.
What does Europe say
European capitals seem concerned with these sentences. As diplomatic sources point out, any Ukrainian territory concession is in danger of being recognized as a Russian acquis, creating a dangerous precedent for European security.
For this reason, EU leaders They are expected to convey to Trump what their limits are, demanding a harsh stance towards Russia and clear guarantees for Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski told Brussels on Sunday that Kiev is ready to discuss territorial changes in the context of a peace agreement to end the Russian invasion, but has categorically ruled out the possibility of concession that are not already under Russian occupation.
“We need real negotiations,” he said at a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Laien. “This means that they can start where the front line is today, the contact line is the best line to talk.”
The Ukrainian president insisted that the exchange of territories was impossible according to the Ukrainian Constitution. “Putin has many demands, but we don’t know them all,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that time is needed to further examine them.
See detailed pictures of Ukraine map from the BBC.