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Trump reportedly tells European allies, Zelensky that Putin open to land-swap talks

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Trump reportedly tells European allies, Zelensky that Putin open to land-swap talks
U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House after returning on Marine One on July 29, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiations if land swaps are included in the talks, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 7, citing its undisclosed sources.

The comments reportedly came during a phone call on Aug. 6, just two days before Trump's deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face harsher U.S. penalties. The conversation followed a meeting between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

According to the New York Times, the call involved Zelensky, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The U.S. president was optimistic about the chance of a ceasefire and said Putin would be willing to engage in peace talks, which include discussing territory Russia claims to control.

What is meant by "land swaps" was not specified, though it possibly referred to Crimea — illegally annexed in 2014 — and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Russia declared the annexation of the latter four regions in 2022 following sham referenda.

Putin has publicly demanded that Ukraine forgo NATO membership and withdraw troops from all four occupied regions as preconditions for peace. He also insists that several large cities under Ukrainian control be handed over to Russia.

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A map showing Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine as of 2025. (The Kyiv Independent)

Moscow reiterated these demands during the Istanbul peace talks in May and again during the third round of talks in July, which ended after less than an hour.

Zelensky has consistently rejected any preconditions that involve Ukraine formally ceding territory. On May 19, he ruled out troop withdrawals, saying Kyiv will not give up sovereign land. On April 25, he said Ukraine will only discuss territorial issues after a full, unconditional ceasefire.

The U.S. president is preparing for an in-person meeting with Putin as early as next week, followed by a potential trilateral summit with Zelensky. If held, these would mark the first direct talks between the three leaders since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

‘Ukraine is not afraid of meetings’ — Zelensky confirms trilateral leader summit under discussion
“Yesterday (Aug. 6), various potential formats for leader-level meetings to bring peace were also discussed – two bilateral and one trilateral,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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