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Putin demands full control of 4 Ukrainian regions, stalling US ceasefire push, Bloomberg reports

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Putin demands full control of 4 Ukrainian regions, stalling US ceasefire push, Bloomberg reports
Vladimir Putin addressing the audience during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Kursk, as news emerges about private jet crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Aug. 23, 2023. (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting that any deal to end the war in Ukraine must include full Russian control of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions, three Moscow-based sources familiar with the talks told Bloomberg.

The demand has dealt a blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire, with frustration reportedly mounting inside the White House over the lack of progress in negotiations.

Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held extended talks at the Kremlin on April 25, attempting to persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire that would freeze hostilities along the current front lines.

Two people familiar with the meeting said Putin does not seem to move away from maximalist demands. He rejected the U.S. proposal and reiterated his demand for full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—territories Russia annexed on paper in 2022 but has never fully occupied.

Negotiations have reportedly reached an impasse for now and require "direct contact between Putin and Trump" to make further progress, one of the sources said.

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As U.S. officials continue to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, five Ukrainian territories have emerged as a central focus — and sticking point — in the negotiations. “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said in comments to Fox News
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Putin declared the four regions to be "forever" part of Russia following sham referendums held months into the full-scale invasion. The Kremlin later added them to the Russian constitution.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the referendums a violation of international law, and most countries have refused to recognize their results. Trump, following his envoy’s fourth meeting with Putin since February, initially said an agreement was "very close" but later backtracked, saying Putin "maybe doesn’t want to stop the war."

Trump’s administration had set a goal of reaching a permanent ceasefire by April 30, marking his first 100 days in office. However, after Putin offered only a temporary ceasefire from May 8–10 to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, U.S. officials expressed disappointment.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an immediate, unconditional 30-day truce and accused Russia of “manipulation.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia would not agree to a long-term truce without considering the “nuances” of Putin’s position.

U.S. proposals under discussion with European allies include dropping Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations, lifting sanctions on Russia in phases, and offering Kyiv firm security guarantees.

As part of the talks, Washington has also demanded the return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control under U.S. administration—a demand Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected outright in an interview with CBS.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Trump to toughen his stance, saying in an interview with Paris Match that he had convinced the U.S. administration of the need for stronger pressure, including potential sanctions.

Trump promised peace in 100 days, but Russia’s violence against Ukraine has only escalated
U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise to negotiate a peace in Ukraine within his first 100 days in office has collided with an unavoidable truth — a slew of Russian attacks during this time have spiked civilian death tolls, and a peace deal is still out of reach. “There is no
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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