The New York Times, citing sources, writes that the main demand of the Kremlin is not so much territorial concessions as Ukraine's refusal to join NATO, the limitation of its military potential, and its return to the "sphere of Moscow's influence."
The publication suggests that Russian officials are hoping for a personal meeting between Putin and Trump, believing that this will provide an opportunity to convince Trump to support the Kremlin's views on what the Russian side calls the "root causes of the conflict."
Meanwhile, Bloomberg, citing informed sources, writes that Donald Trump told European allies about Vladimir Putin's readiness for peace talks, provided they include the issue of "territorial exchange." What exactly is meant is not specified.
Previously, Putin had claimed the annexed peninsula of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
The US had a different proposal: to recognize Crimea as Russian as part of any agreement and effectively hand over control of parts of other Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia. At the same time, control over the territories of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions was to be returned to Ukraine.
Photo: RIA Novosti