A proposed US-Russia peace deal could secure major territorial and political gains for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, according to a report citing unnamed diplomatic sources.
India Today World Desk
UPDATED: Aug 9, 2025
In Short
Ukraine may cede Donbas, Crimea, parts of Luhansk and Donetsk
Trump hints at territory swap, Putin seeks peace
Putin-Trump talks set in Alaska, support from allies uncertain
The United States and Russia are weighing a peace deal that would redraw Ukraine’s borders and cement Moscow’s territorial gains, with US President Donald Trump hinting at a “swapping of territories” between the warring sides. Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, said the proposal would see Ukraine surrender the entire eastern Donbas, Crimea, and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk — a plan Kyiv has yet to accept.
According to the Bloomberg report, the proposed settlement would require Ukraine to pull its forces from the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, while Russia would halt offensive operations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. If the report is true, the deal would be a big victory for Putin, who began the Ukraine invasion in February 2022. However, it remains unclear whether Moscow would give up any of the land it currently holds.
President Trump, speaking on Friday, offered only a broad outline. “Any agreement would likely involve some swapping of territories,” he said, without going into specifics. “President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace, and Zelenskyy wants to see peace. In all fairness to President Zelenskyy, he’s getting everything he needs to, assuming we get something done.”
Putin and Trump are expected to meet for talks next week in Alaska, with Washington working to rally support from Ukraine and European allies — a task Bloomberg described as “far from certain.”
In July, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire but has since reduced that target to a “lesser number,” saying he is “very disappointed” that Moscow has not eased its attacks.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces remain under severe pressure. The Pokrovsk area of Donetsk is bearing the brunt of Russia’s assault as the Kremlin tries to push into the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine’s army is grappling with manpower shortages, while in the north, heavy fighting in Sumy aims to stop Russian troops from redeploying to the east.
For many on the front lines, the idea of negotiating with Moscow is a nonstarter. “It is impossible to negotiate with them. The only option is to defeat them,” said Buda, a drone unit commander in Ukraine’s Spartan Brigade, speaking to the Associated Press. “The only option is to defeat them.”
- Ends
Is Putin ready to end war in exchange for eastern Ukraine? All eyes now on his Alaska meet with Trump
US President Donald Trump confirms the highly anticipated summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15
US President Donald Trump confirms the highly anticipated summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15
Updated: August 09, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he would meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss ways to end the Ukraine war.
If the meeting happens, it would be the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
Trump’s deadline for Kremelin to agree to a ceasefire expired on Friday, and the Ukrainian leadership has expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war.
Trump’s ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and his move to introduce secondary tariffs on countries that import Russian oil have made no breakthrough in bringing peace and stopping Putin from bombing Ukrainian cities.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he would meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss ways to end the Ukraine war.
If the meeting happens, it would be the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
Trump’s deadline for Kremelin to agree to a ceasefire expired on Friday, and the Ukrainian leadership has expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war.
Trump’s ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and his move to introduce secondary tariffs on countries that import Russian oil have made no breakthrough in bringing peace and stopping Putin from bombing Ukrainian cities.
Trump had said on Thursday that he would meet with Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That has stoked fears in Europe that Ukraine could be sidelined in efforts to stop the war.
Demand for Eastern Ukraine
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that Putin has presented a sweeping proposal to end the war before the Trump administration.
Quoting European and Ukrainian officials, the report said Kremelin has demanded the control of Eastern Ukraine and a push for global recognition of its claims in exchange for a ceasefire.
Moscow is demanding a total of four provinces in eastern Ukrainen—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Putin’s phone calls
On Friday, Putin dialled both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and apprised them of the situation in Ukraine.
Earlier, Putin had made similar phone calls to leaders of South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, the Kremlin said.
The calls suggested that Putin perhaps wanted to brief Russia's most important allies about a potential settlement that could be reached at a summit with Trump, reported the Associated Press.
Demand for Eastern Ukraine
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that Putin has presented a sweeping proposal to end the war before the Trump administration.
Quoting European and Ukrainian officials, the report said Kremelin has demanded the control of Eastern Ukraine and a push for global recognition of its claims in exchange for a ceasefire.
Moscow is demanding a total of four provinces in eastern Ukrainen—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Putin’s phone calls
On Friday, Putin dialled both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and apprised them of the situation in Ukraine.
Earlier, Putin had made similar phone calls to leaders of South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, the Kremlin said.
The calls suggested that Putin perhaps wanted to brief Russia's most important allies about a potential settlement that could be reached at a summit with Trump, reported the Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam. (Reuters Photo)
Ukraine war briefing:
Trump flags ‘swapping of territories’ as he and Putin set a date for Alaska talks
US president claims exchanges will be ‘to the betterment of both’ before announcing talks with Putin for Friday. What we know on day 1,263
See all our Ukraine war coverage
Staff and agencies
US president claims exchanges will be ‘to the betterment of both’ before announcing talks with Putin for Friday. What we know on day 1,263
See all our Ukraine war coverage
Staff and agencies
Sat 9 Aug 2025
Donald Trump has said any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia would involve territory swaps, as he named a date and location for talks with Vladimir Putin. The US president said: “But we’re gonna get some [territory] back. We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.” He did not provide further details. Kyiv did not immediately comment on the talks or the possibility of territorial exchanges.
Trump said he planned to meet the Russian president next Friday in Alaska. He announced the location in a brief post on his Truth Social site. Russian state media agency Tass confirmed the date and location of the meeting, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Putin said earlier he was not ready to meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the proposal of a three-way meeting by US envoy Steve Witkoff. “I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this,” Putin said of a meeting with Zelenskyy. “But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”
Ushakov said another summit with the US president could be held in Moscow, and said an invite had already been extended. The White House has not commented yet on the remarks.
The US president’s remarks on Ukraine came after Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said a “freeze” in the conflict could be close, after speaking with Zelenskyy, who has communicated with Trump and European leaders in recent days. “There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” Tusk said during a news conference.
Ukraine’s president said late on Friday that Kyiv was in “constant communication with the American side” as the deadline for a Russian ceasefire passed. Zelenskyy said “No orders to stop have been given to the Russian army” and that the day had seen more than 100 drone strikes on Ukraine, as well as frontline assaults and other airstrikes. He added that all Ukraine’s allies were “united in the understanding that there is a chance to achieve at least a ceasefire, and that everything depends on the right pressure on Russia”.
Viktoriia Roshchyna, the Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity last year, has been buried in Kyiv, in a ceremony attended by relatives and colleagues who paid tribute to her singular professional courage and the importance of her work. Roshchyna was reporting on Russia’s systematic policy of extrajudicial detention and torture in occupied parts of Ukraine before falling victim to it herself. She died at the age of 27 last year in murky circumstances, after more than a year in Russian captivity. Her body was returned earlier this year with some of the internal organs missing.
Donald Trump has said any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia would involve territory swaps, as he named a date and location for talks with Vladimir Putin. The US president said: “But we’re gonna get some [territory] back. We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.” He did not provide further details. Kyiv did not immediately comment on the talks or the possibility of territorial exchanges.
Trump said he planned to meet the Russian president next Friday in Alaska. He announced the location in a brief post on his Truth Social site. Russian state media agency Tass confirmed the date and location of the meeting, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Putin said earlier he was not ready to meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the proposal of a three-way meeting by US envoy Steve Witkoff. “I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this,” Putin said of a meeting with Zelenskyy. “But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”
Ushakov said another summit with the US president could be held in Moscow, and said an invite had already been extended. The White House has not commented yet on the remarks.
The US president’s remarks on Ukraine came after Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said a “freeze” in the conflict could be close, after speaking with Zelenskyy, who has communicated with Trump and European leaders in recent days. “There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” Tusk said during a news conference.
Ukraine’s president said late on Friday that Kyiv was in “constant communication with the American side” as the deadline for a Russian ceasefire passed. Zelenskyy said “No orders to stop have been given to the Russian army” and that the day had seen more than 100 drone strikes on Ukraine, as well as frontline assaults and other airstrikes. He added that all Ukraine’s allies were “united in the understanding that there is a chance to achieve at least a ceasefire, and that everything depends on the right pressure on Russia”.
Viktoriia Roshchyna, the Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity last year, has been buried in Kyiv, in a ceremony attended by relatives and colleagues who paid tribute to her singular professional courage and the importance of her work. Roshchyna was reporting on Russia’s systematic policy of extrajudicial detention and torture in occupied parts of Ukraine before falling victim to it herself. She died at the age of 27 last year in murky circumstances, after more than a year in Russian captivity. Her body was returned earlier this year with some of the internal organs missing.
Russian nationalists have long demanded the return of Alaska. Now Trump has invited ICC-indicted Putin to the state
The Last Frontier state was purchased from the Russians by the U.S. for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867
Rhian Lubin
in New York
Saturday 09 August 2025
Trump confirms meet with Putin is not conditional on Putin-Zelensky talks
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week, the state that Russia once laid claim to and nationalists want to take back.
Trump announced Friday that a meeting has been set with the Russian leader on August 15 in the Last Frontier state to discuss the war in Ukraine, which the president claimed he would end “on Day One.”
Despite facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, the meeting would mark the first time in a decade that Putin has set foot on U.S. soil.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump declared on Truth Social.
Critics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they mercilessly exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back.
open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump announced Friday that a meeting has been set with the Russian leader on August 15 in the Last Frontier state to discuss the war in Ukraine (AP)
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Putin has traveled overseas since the warrant was issued, including to ICC member state Mongolia. He’s also traveled to China and North Korea, which are not court members.
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on ‘Day One,” but later claimed he said it “in jest.”
Negotiations on peace talks have been slow moving and, at times, fraught.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not be at next week’s summit, was ambushed in the Oval Office earlier this year by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The vice president attacked Zelensky for not saying thank you enough for U.S. financial and military support and accused him of being “disrespectful.”
Trump has made numerous pro-Putin statements in the past, and said gets along with the dictator “very well.” His tone changed this month, when he said he was “disappointed” with Putin as peace talks continued to drag and violence in Europe continued.
The most famous meeting between the two presidents took place in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018, during Trump’s first term as president. Following the meeting, Trump publicly contradicted U.S. intelligence agencies and appeared to take Putin’s word over their findings regarding Russian election interference.
The remarks caused bipartisan outrage in Washington, with many accusing Trump of having “sided with the enemy.”
Trump has also publicly blamed Zelensky – rather than Putin – for starting the war.
The Last Frontier state was purchased from the Russians by the U.S. for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867
Rhian Lubin
in New York
Saturday 09 August 2025
The Independent
Trump confirms meet with Putin is not conditional on Putin-Zelensky talks
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week, the state that Russia once laid claim to and nationalists want to take back.
Trump announced Friday that a meeting has been set with the Russian leader on August 15 in the Last Frontier state to discuss the war in Ukraine, which the president claimed he would end “on Day One.”
Despite facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, the meeting would mark the first time in a decade that Putin has set foot on U.S. soil.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump declared on Truth Social.
Critics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they mercilessly exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back.
open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump announced Friday that a meeting has been set with the Russian leader on August 15 in the Last Frontier state to discuss the war in Ukraine (AP)
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Alaska was purchased from the Russians by the U.S. for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867—the equivalent of between $129 million and $153.5 million today.
“Trump has chosen to host Putin in a part of the former Russian Empire. Wonder if he knows that Russian nationalists claim that losing Alaska, like Ukraine, was a raw deal for Moscow that needs to be corrected,” said Michael McFaul, a professor of political science at Stanford University and former. U.S. ambassador to Russia.
“Let's all hope that Putin doesn't ask to take Alaska home with him as a souvenir, or Trump might give that away too,” political commentator David Frum said in a post on X.
“Trump inviting war criminal Putin to America is nauseating enough, but hosting him in Alaska — while Putin's pet propagandists routinely demand it back from the US on state TV — is beyond the pale,” author and commentator Julia Davis wrote on X. “Unless Putin is arrested upon arrival, there's no excuse.”
She posted a series of clips and screenshots of pro-Putin Russian commentators suggesting that Alaska should be part of their country once again.
Trump’s former national security adviser-turned foe, John Bolton, said the move reminded him of a blunder the president allegedly nearly made in his first term.
open image in galleryCritics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back (Reuters)
“This is not quite as bad as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan,” Bolton told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “But it certainly reminds one of that.”
“The only better place for Putin than Alaska would be if the summit were being held in Moscow,” Bolton added. “So the initial setup, I think, is a great victory for Putin.”
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that she was “deeply wary” of Putin as she reacted to the news that the summit would take place in her home state.
“This is another opportunity for the Arctic to serve as a venue that brings together world leaders to forge meaningful agreements,” Murkowski said in a post on X Friday. “While I remain deeply wary of Putin and his regime, I hope these discussions lead to genuine progress and help end the war on equitable terms.”
open image in galleryUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not be at next week’s summit, was ambushed in Oval Office earlier this year by Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Putin is wanted by the ICC on a warrant dating back to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict triggered by Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor. At least 19,000 Ukrainian children are thought to have been kidnapped and taken to Russia since the invasion began in February 2022, although Ukrainian officials say the total is probably far higher. Putin’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, is also charged over the same alleged offenses.
Alaska was purchased from the Russians by the U.S. for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867—the equivalent of between $129 million and $153.5 million today.
“Trump has chosen to host Putin in a part of the former Russian Empire. Wonder if he knows that Russian nationalists claim that losing Alaska, like Ukraine, was a raw deal for Moscow that needs to be corrected,” said Michael McFaul, a professor of political science at Stanford University and former. U.S. ambassador to Russia.
“Let's all hope that Putin doesn't ask to take Alaska home with him as a souvenir, or Trump might give that away too,” political commentator David Frum said in a post on X.
“Trump inviting war criminal Putin to America is nauseating enough, but hosting him in Alaska — while Putin's pet propagandists routinely demand it back from the US on state TV — is beyond the pale,” author and commentator Julia Davis wrote on X. “Unless Putin is arrested upon arrival, there's no excuse.”
She posted a series of clips and screenshots of pro-Putin Russian commentators suggesting that Alaska should be part of their country once again.
Trump’s former national security adviser-turned foe, John Bolton, said the move reminded him of a blunder the president allegedly nearly made in his first term.
open image in galleryCritics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back (Reuters)
“This is not quite as bad as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan,” Bolton told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “But it certainly reminds one of that.”
“The only better place for Putin than Alaska would be if the summit were being held in Moscow,” Bolton added. “So the initial setup, I think, is a great victory for Putin.”
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that she was “deeply wary” of Putin as she reacted to the news that the summit would take place in her home state.
“This is another opportunity for the Arctic to serve as a venue that brings together world leaders to forge meaningful agreements,” Murkowski said in a post on X Friday. “While I remain deeply wary of Putin and his regime, I hope these discussions lead to genuine progress and help end the war on equitable terms.”
open image in galleryUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not be at next week’s summit, was ambushed in Oval Office earlier this year by Trump and Vice President JD Vance (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Putin is wanted by the ICC on a warrant dating back to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict triggered by Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor. At least 19,000 Ukrainian children are thought to have been kidnapped and taken to Russia since the invasion began in February 2022, although Ukrainian officials say the total is probably far higher. Putin’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, is also charged over the same alleged offenses.
Putin has traveled overseas since the warrant was issued, including to ICC member state Mongolia. He’s also traveled to China and North Korea, which are not court members.
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on ‘Day One,” but later claimed he said it “in jest.”
Negotiations on peace talks have been slow moving and, at times, fraught.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not be at next week’s summit, was ambushed in the Oval Office earlier this year by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The vice president attacked Zelensky for not saying thank you enough for U.S. financial and military support and accused him of being “disrespectful.”
Trump has made numerous pro-Putin statements in the past, and said gets along with the dictator “very well.” His tone changed this month, when he said he was “disappointed” with Putin as peace talks continued to drag and violence in Europe continued.
The most famous meeting between the two presidents took place in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018, during Trump’s first term as president. Following the meeting, Trump publicly contradicted U.S. intelligence agencies and appeared to take Putin’s word over their findings regarding Russian election interference.
The remarks caused bipartisan outrage in Washington, with many accusing Trump of having “sided with the enemy.”
Trump has also publicly blamed Zelensky – rather than Putin – for starting the war.
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