The United States and Russia are on track to secure a peace deal that would halt the land grabs Russia has made since its invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The key point of the deal is that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will cede all of eastern Donbas, Crimea, and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, where fierce fighting is still ongoing, sources told Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
A huge win for Putin if the peace deal is confirmed
If such a deal is confirmed, it would be a huge victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 with the declared goal of “liberating” Donbas despite condemnation from world leaders.
The conflict has dragged on for years, as Russia struggles to achieve more significant gains in Ukraine after some initial progress. However, Russian and Ukrainian leaders’ disagreements on key issues have slowed the resolution of the conflict.
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Ukraine has not agreed to a proposed peace deal aimed at resolving the conflict, Bloomberg reported. There is a possibility of talks between Putin and President Donald Trump next week, according to Newsweek.
According to the report, the US is working to gain support from allies in Ukraine and Europe, noting that this is “far from certain.”
In the peace deal, Ukraine will have to withdraw troops from the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, while Russia will stop its military offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhia, according to the report.
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However, Bloomberg reported that it is unclear whether Russia will give up any of the land it currently occupies.
In July, President Trump gave Putin 50 days to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine, later reducing that deadline to 10-12 days. However, despite Trump’s warning, Russia continued its military campaign.
After US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, August 6, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.”
According to Russian state media, the Kremlin wrote in a statement that “Putin conveyed some signals to the United States on the Ukrainian issue. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump.”
Newsweek’s reporting contributed to this article.