Zelenskyy rejects Putin's demand to cede all of Donetsk Oblast – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Kyiv rejects a demand put forward by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to cede the still-unoccupied areas of Donetsk Oblast to Russia in exchange for freezing the front in other regions, Reuters has reported.
Source: Reuters, citing sources
Details: According to a source, Trump told Zelenskyy that Putin had offered to "freeze most front lines" in return for Ukraine giving Russia all of Donetsk Oblast.
"Zelenskyy rejected the demand, the source said," Reuters reported.
Reuters’ sources also confirmed that European leaders have been invited to take part in the talks between Trump and Zelenskyy on Monday.
Previously: Earlier on Saturday, The New York Times also reported that Zelenskyy and European leaders are strongly opposed to any concession of unoccupied Donbas territory, which also contains key defensive positions and is rich in mineral resources.
Background:
- The Trump-Putin meeting ended with no agreements reached and no ceasefire in Ukraine announced, despite both leaders claiming "great progress" was made.
- After the Alaska talks, Trump said he had reached an agreement with Putin on a territory exchange and that "President Zelenskyy has to agree".
- Trump is reported to have told Ukraine and European leaders that Putin wants to immediately discuss the terms of ending the war, not just a pause in the hostilities. Trump believes this would be better.
- On 16 August, Trump spoke first with Zelenskyy and then European leaders after his talks with Putin. Zelenskyy announced that he will meet Trump in Washington on 18 August.
- According to Bloomberg, Trump has informed European leaders and Zelenskyy that Putin is still demanding that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. In return, Russia will give up its claims to the areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts that it does not currently control, effectively freezing the front line.
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