Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting that any deal to end the war in Ukraine must include full Russian control of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions, three Moscow-based sources familiar with the talks told Bloomberg.
The demand has dealt a blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire, with frustration reportedly mounting inside the White House over the lack of progress in negotiations.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held extended talks at the Kremlin on April 25, attempting to persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire that would freeze hostilities along the current front lines.
Two people familiar with the meeting said Putin does not seem to move away from maximalist demands. He rejected the U.S. proposal and reiterated his demand for full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—territories Russia annexed on paper in 2022 but has never fully occupied.
Negotiations have reportedly reached an impasse for now and require "direct contact between Putin and Trump" to make further progress, one of the sources said.
Putin declared the four regions to be "forever" part of Russia following sham referendums held months into the full-scale invasion. The Kremlin later added them to the Russian constitution.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the referendums a violation of international law, and most countries have refused to recognize their results. Trump, following his envoy’s fourth meeting with Putin since February, initially said an agreement was "very close" but later backtracked, saying Putin "maybe doesn’t want to stop the war."
Trump’s administration had set a goal of reaching a permanent ceasefire by April 30, marking his first 100 days in office. However, after Putin offered only a temporary ceasefire from May 8–10 to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, U.S. officials expressed disappointment.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an immediate, unconditional 30-day truce and accused Russia of “manipulation.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia would not agree to a long-term truce without considering the “nuances” of Putin’s position.
U.S. proposals under discussion with European allies include dropping Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations, lifting sanctions on Russia in phases, and offering Kyiv firm security guarantees.
As part of the talks, Washington has also demanded the return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control under U.S. administration—a demand Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected outright in an interview with CBS.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Trump to toughen his stance, saying in an interview with Paris Match that he had convinced the U.S. administration of the need for stronger pressure, including potential sanctions.
