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Putin Tells U.S. He’ll Halt War in Exchange for Eastern Ukraine

The proposal prompted the Trump administration to begin preparing for a summit with the Russian leader, but European officials expressed skepticism over its viability

ET

Ukrainian soldiers firing a howitzer.
A Ukrainian soldier fires a howitzer at Russian troops near the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Photo: stringer/Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the Trump administration this week with a sweeping proposal for a cease-fire in Ukraine, demanding major territorial concessions by Kyiv—and a push for global recognition of its claims—in exchange for a halt to the fighting, according to European and Ukrainian officials.

European officials expressed serious reservations about the proposal, which would require Ukraine hand over Eastern Ukraine, a region known as the Donbas, without Russia committing to much other than to stop fighting. The offer, which Putin conveyed Wednesday to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, set off a diplomatic scramble to get further clarity on details of the proposal.

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