Putin will agree to complete ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws its troops from Donbas - WSJ
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has presented a ceasefire proposal to the administration of President Donald Trump, which includes significant territorial concessions by Ukraine. We are talking about the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Wall Street Journal writes about this, citing sources, Censor.NET reports .
The newspaper writes that Putin conveyed this proposal to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff when he was in Moscow.
The article says that European and Ukrainian officials, who were briefed by President Trump and Vitkoff during a series of phone calls this week about the Kremlin dictator's proposal, said they feared that Putin was simply using the proposal as a tactical move to avoid new US sanctions and tariffs.
Trump said on Wednesday, 6 August, that Putin's proposal was not a breakthrough, but was significant enough to begin preparations for a potential summit next week.
The publication notes that the plan is seen as a possible departure of Russia from previous demands, which included full control over the entire frontline, which extends far beyond the Donbas.
Currently, Russian troops hold most of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but the Ukrainian army retains control over a number of key settlements that remain important defence elements, the WSJ writes.
According to the publication, during telephone conversations this week, European officials tried to get clarification on what would happen to the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, where Russian troops also control part of the territory.
It is noted that they received conflicting information about whether Putin intends to freeze the current front line and eventually withdraw his troops from there.
Speaking to European officials, Witkoff said that the Russian proposal included two stages.
In the first stage, Ukraine would withdraw from the Donetsk region and the front lines would be frozen. In the second stage, Putin and Trump would have agreed on a final peace plan, which would then have to be agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A Ukrainian official involved in the conversation said that Kyiv was not opposed to any of the proposals in principle, but noted that a ceasefire would be a prerequisite for any further steps.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said that Trump and his national security team are discussing "possible paths to peace" with Ukrainian and European partners after Wittkoff's meeting with Putin.
However, she noted that "given our delicate diplomatic negotiations with Russia, Ukraine and our European allies, the White House will not comment on details reported by the media".
The article also mentions that the Constitution of Ukraine explicitly prohibits President Zelenskyy from approving territorial changes on his own.
In addition, the publication recalls the words of Zelenskyy, who had previously stated that territorial issues would be discussed only after Russia agrees to a full and unconditional ceasefire.
