“Putin ready to discuss Ukraine ceasefire deal with Trump, but issues ultimatums on territories and NATO — Reuters November 20, 09:47 Share: Vladimir Putin (Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Kremlin via REUTERS) Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss with by US President-elect Donald Trump a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, but rules out any significant territorial concessions and insists on so that Kyiv refused”, — write on: ua.news
Vladimir Putin (Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine with US President-elect Donald Trump, but rules out any significant territorial concessions and insists that Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join NATO, Reuters reported, citing sources.
Five current and former Russian officials said the Kremlin could broadly agree to freeze the conflict along the front line.
Interlocutors of the publication also stated that there may be an opportunity for negotiations regarding “distribution” of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, since despite the Russian Federation’s statement that all these regions are supposedly part of it, the occupying forces control only 70-80% of this territory.
At the same time, according to officials, Russia may agree to withdraw troops from the relatively small areas of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions.
Two sources also reported that US President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to fire US ATACMS missiles deep into Russia may “complicate and delay any settlement and strengthen Moscow’s demands.”
At the same time, according to the interlocutors of the publication, if an agreement on a cease-fire is not reached, Russia will continue to fight.
In addition, the sources noted that Russia will try “to prevent” Ukraine’s accession to NATO or the presence of Alliance troops on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, the aggressor country “open for discussion” security guarantees for Kyiv.
Among other concessions from Ukraine that the Kremlin may insist on is Kyiv’s agreement to limit the size of its armed forces and commitments “do not limit the use of the Russian language”.
Dmitry Simes, an emigrant to the United States from the Soviet Union, who is one of the most authoritative Russian experts on American affairs, believes that a cease-fire agreement can be concluded relatively quickly. At the same time, it will be extremely difficult to conclude a broader, long-term agreement that would take into account the security interests of both Ukraine and Russia, he added.
“A grand agreement, in my opinion, will be very difficult to achieve, as the positions of both sides are very far from each other,” he noted.
Alleged plans for negotiations with Russia and reports of a conversation between Trump and Putin – what is known
On November 11, the Associated Press reported that Trump plans to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table in the first days of his return to the White House.
After his election victory was announced, Trump’s press secretary said that he would now be able to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. She later said, “On day one, that includes getting Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table to end this war.”
According to the publication, Trump and Putin held a telephone conversation during which he advised the Russian dictator to refrain from escalating the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s significant military presence in Europe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Kyiv was not warned about the telephone conversation between Trump and Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed on November 11 that there was no telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. According to him, there are allegedly no concrete plans for their contacts yet.