Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a ceasefire deal in Ukraine with Donald Trump, Kremlin sources have claimed.
The Russian leader had previously said that a ceasefire could only come about if Ukraine withdrew troops from territories Moscow claims to have annexed – specifically Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
However, five current and former Russian officials now claim that there could be room for negotiation over the four regions, of which up to 30 per cent remains held by Ukrainian defenders.
Putin could also be open to withdrawing from the small patches of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions, two sources added.
Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a ceasefire deal in Ukraine with Donald Trump
GETTY
However, Putin remains steadfast in his condition that Kyiv must not join Nato.
“If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine the existence of any good-neighbourly relations between Russia and Ukraine,” Putin told the Valdai discussion group on November 7.
“Why? Because this would mean that Ukraine will be constantly used as a tool in the wrong hands and to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said: “The manner in which the Kremlin is trying to set its terms for negotiations strongly signals that Russia’s objectives remain unchanged and still amount to full Ukrainian capitulation.
RUSSIA LATEST:
Ukraine is looking to become Nato’s 33rd memberGB NEWS
Putin remains steadfast in his condition that Kyiv must not join Nato
gbnews
“The Kremlin does not appear any more willing to make concessions to the incoming Trump administration than it was to the current administration.”
Trump will become the 47th President of the United States in January, and has promised to end the war within 24 hours of his new presidency.
The incoming President’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “He is the only person who can bring both sides together in order to negotiate peace, and work towards ending the war and stopping the killing.”
Trump said that he would begin peace talks ahead of his inauguration next year, though has stipulated that Ukraine would not be allowed to join Nato for at least 20 years.
The 78-year-old’s plan for peace would see America supplying Ukraine with plenty of weapons to act as a deterrent to Russia, although the frontline between the two troops would remain frozen.
Putin could also be open to withdrawing from the small patches of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions, two sources added
Reuters
Trump has promised to end the war within 24 hours of his new presidency
REUTERS
Dimitri Simes, a former Trump advisor who is now a commentator for Russian state television, said a ceasefire agreement could be struck relatively swiftly to end the war.
However, a more long-term solution would be “very difficult to reach as the positions of the two sides are very far apart,” he said.
While Ukraine has expressed a willingness to listen to the incoming President’s plans, Zelensky has said that his nation would oppose any future deal that might appear as a victory for Russia.
Speaking recently at a summit of the European Political Community in Budapest, Zelensky said: “There should be no illusions that a just peace can be bought by showing weakness. Peace is a reward only for the strong.”
“Since the July summit of the European Political Community in Great Britain, there has been much talk about giving in to Putin, retreating, and making some ‘concessions’.”
He added: “This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe.”