Reuters reported on Putin's main demand ahead of the talks

Vladimir Putin wants to gain control of the entire Donbas in exchange for resuming peace talks, according to Reuters. This refers to territories that make up about 11% of the Donbas and are currently under Ukrainian control.

 

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will return to peace talks only after he receives the rest of the Donbas territory currently controlled by Ukraine. Reuters reports this, citing a source close to the Kremlin.

According to the publication, this involves 11% of the Donbas territory, which the Kremlin leader wants to acquire in order to “present this domestically as a victory.”

Ukraine has stated that it will not cede any more territory to Russia, but freezing the conflict along the current front lines could form the basis of a peace agreement, the article notes.

Meanwhile, according to another source, the U.S. hopes that the agreement on diesel fuel announced last week will help resume trilateral negotiations.

During a meeting with Ukrainians in Miami, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, called on Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries. He emphasized that this is what the U.S. administration is asking for.

“The idea was that the U.S. could turn to Russia again and say, ‘Look, the Ukrainians have stopped the strikes, and we’ve given you this deal. Now it’s your turn to do something,’” one of Reuters’ sources said.

Earlier, Kellogg accused Putin of attempting to exploit Trump and the U.S. elections.

U.S. senators opposed Trump’s deal with Putin regarding the purchase of diesel fuel.

U.S. President Donald Trump once again blamed Ukraine for the lack of a peace agreement with Russia, while claiming that the Kremlin is allegedly interested in resolving the war.