Putin’s Proposal to Halt Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that if Ukraine renounces control over a significant area in its eastern region, he would agree to end the conflict in Ukraine, according to officials from Europe and Ukraine reported by The Wall Street Journal. This proposal was made to special envoy Steve Witkov on Wednesday, suggesting that Ukraine might consider conceding the Russian-speaking Donbas region in exchange for a cessation of hostilities.

Putin indicated to Witkov that he would halt military actions if Ukrainian forces withdrew from the Donetsk region. Currently, Russian forces occupy parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, while maintaining full control over the Luhansk area.

Details about the proposal remain somewhat unclear, including whether Putin intends to completely withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as part of the agreement. European officials have been involved in multiple discussions with the Trump administration throughout the week regarding this suggestion.

Trump has been involved in these conversations, participating in the first call on Wednesday alongside Secretary Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Witkov. The same group had another call on Thursday, though Trump was absent from that one.

In a subsequent conversation on Friday, Witkov reportedly informed European officials that Putin’s proposal involves two phases. Initially, Ukraine would withdraw its troops from Donetsk, followed by a freezing of the frontline until a more definitive agreement could be established with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Putin.

However, Ukrainian officials have stated that they will still pursue a ceasefire before they contemplate the proposal.

The State Department has not yet provided a response to inquiries about this situation.