Putin may offer Trump to "consolidate" control over occupied territories for Russia in exchange for withdrawing troops from other areas - WSJ
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may propose a "territorial exchange" at his meeting with Donald Trump.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, according to Censor.NET.
The publication notes that Trump's disappointment with Putin began to manifest itself at the NATO summit in June, when the US leader called the Russian dictator's refusal to end the war "a mistake."
Their conversation on July 3 was much shorter than previous ones. It lasted less than an hour. According to a Trump administration official, the dialogue "lacked the warmth with which they usually communicated with each other."
Later, Trump admitted that Putin had said one thing in their conversations about his interest in ending the war, but did something completely different.
In the US and Europe, according to the article, there are fears that Putin proposed the meeting in order to continue putting pressure on Trump, rather than to achieve peace.
Citing a high-ranking European diplomat and Ukrainian official, the publication writes that Putin may offer to consolidate control over part of the occupied territories in exchange for the withdrawal of Russian troops from other regions.
"Trump, seeking an agreement, may urge Ukraine and its allies to accept this proposal," the publication notes.
The official suggests that Kyiv and Europe are likely to reject this plan, which would play into Putin's hands, as Trump, "who is rarely concerned with the details of a peace settlement, could accuse Ukraine of continuing the war."
The publication also writes that Trump may stop intelligence and military support for Ukraine, as was the case before. The US may also completely withdraw from the diplomatic process, leaving Moscow and Kyiv to continue what Trump has long called "Biden's war."
"But those who know Trump suspect that he will continue to seek the most valuable deal," the journalists added.
