The United States and Russia are seeking to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine that would consolidate Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories seized during its military invasion, according to Bloomberg sources.
US and Russian officials are working to achieve a territorial agreement ahead of a potential summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as early as next week, the agency’s sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private consultations. Washington is trying to secure support from Ukraine and European allies for the deal, which has not been finalized, the international agency’s sources reported.
According to Bloomberg, Putin is demanding that Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, as well as Crimea, which Russian forces illegally annexed in 2014. This would require Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to order the withdrawal of troops from parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that remain under Kyiv’s control, handing Russia a victory that its military could not achieve militarily since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Such an outcome would constitute a significant victory for Putin, who has long sought direct negotiations with the US over terms to end the war he started, sidelining Ukraine and its European allies. Zelensky risks facing a difficult deal that would force him to accept the loss of Ukrainian territory, while Europe fears being left to monitor the ceasefire while Putin rebuilds his forces.
Russia would halt its offensive in Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along current battle lines as part of the agreement, sources said, warning that the deal’s terms and plans could still be modified.
It is unclear whether Moscow is willing to give up any territory it currently holds, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.
The White House did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment, nor did Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Ukraine also did not respond.
The agreement essentially aims to freeze the war and open the path for a ceasefire and negotiations for a definitive peace agreement, agency sources reported. The US had previously pressed Russia to first agree to an unconditional ceasefire to create space for negotiations to end the war, which is now in its fourth year.
Having returned to the White House in January with a promise to quickly resolve Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, Trump has expressed growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire. The two leaders have held six phone conversations since February, and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has met with Putin five times in Russia to try to achieve a deal.
Trump has not yet implemented direct measures against Moscow, though this week he doubled tariffs on Indian products to 50% due to Russian oil purchases, angering New Delhi. The American president asked Putin to agree to a ceasefire by Friday, otherwise the US would impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil to increase economic pressure on Moscow.
Putin has repeatedly insisted that his war objectives remain unchanged. These include demands for Kyiv to accept neutral status and abandon NATO membership ambitions, as well as accept the loss of Crimea and four other eastern and southern Ukrainian regions.
Parts of Donetsk and Luhansk have been under Russian occupation since 2014, when the Kremlin fomented violent separatist actions shortly after the Crimea seizure operation. Putin declared the four Ukrainian regions “forever” part of Russia after announcing their annexation in September 2022, although his forces have never fully controlled these territories.
Ukraine cannot constitutionally cede territory and has stated it will not recognize Russian occupation and annexation of its territory.
It remains unclear whether Putin will agree to participate in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelensky next week, even if he reaches an agreement with the US president, sources added. The Russian leader told journalists Thursday he has no objection to meeting Zelensky under appropriate conditions, though he said these do not currently exist.
Many officials, including in the US, have expressed concerns about Putin’s willingness to end the war and whether he is genuinely interested in a peace agreement that would not meet his stated objectives in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg sources.
Trump said Thursday he would be willing to meet with Putin even if the Russian leader does not agree to also meet Zelensky. “I don’t like to wait too long,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “They want to meet me and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing.”
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Thursday that Russian and American officials are finalizing details for a summit to be held within days and have agreed on the venue, which he did not name.
The US had previously proposed recognizing Crimea as Russian as part of any war-ending agreement and essentially ceding control of parts of other Ukrainian regions to Russia. Under those previous proposals, control of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions would return to Ukraine.
