On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine. Since then, the conflict between the two countries has been ongoing for over 1,000 days, resulting in many casualties on both sides. However, there has been no sign of the war coming to an end. Instead, Ukraine has launched attacks on Russia using long-range missiles made by the UK and the US. In response, Russia has issued a strong warning of retaliation.
In this context, Putin has expressed a desire to engage in talks with the newly elected US President, Donald Trump, to end the war in Ukraine. However, Putin has set certain conditions for such talks. According to Reuters, one of the conditions is that Russia will not make any significant concessions regarding the territories it has occupied in Ukraine. Additionally, Ukraine must abandon its intention to join NATO.
Five former and current Russian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have stated that if a deal is brokered through Trump, the Kremlin might agree to halt the ongoing frontline fighting in Ukraine. There would also be room for discussions about the division of territories in Eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Russia currently claims these four regions as its own, with 70 to 80 percent of the areas under Russian military control.
Reuters further reported that the Kremlin could agree to withdraw its troops from areas in northern and southern Ukraine, such as Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, which are currently under Russian control. However, sources have also indicated that if no agreement is reached, Russia will continue the war.
