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