Moscow (Source) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, but he has ruled out any significant territorial concessions and insists that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join NATO. This comes as Trump prepares to return to the White House with a pledge to swiftly resolve the conflict.
According to five sources familiar with Kremlin discussions, Moscow would consider freezing the conflict along the current front lines, where Russian forces have made significant advances since the early days of the 2022 invasion. These gains have given Russia control over an area roughly the size of the U.S. state of Virginia.
While Russia claims full sovereignty over the eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, it currently controls 70-80% of these territories. About 26,000 square kilometers remain under Ukrainian control, according to open-source data. Negotiations may include discussions on the precise division of these regions, three sources indicated.
Two officials suggested that Moscow might be willing to withdraw from smaller areas in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions. However, Putin remains firm on defending Russian-held territories, now under the protection of Russia’s nuclear umbrella.
Trump’s return to the presidency comes at a time of heightened Russian influence and military momentum, positioning the Kremlin to negotiate from a point of strength.
As the international community watches closely, any potential deal would have far-reaching implications for Ukraine’s sovereignty, NATO’s strategic goals, and global security.
