A ceasefire agreement to end the war in Ukraine, which would “lock in” Russian occupation of territories seized during the military invasion, is what the United States and Russia are aiming to conclude.
Read: White House official: Trump-Putin meeting at the end of next week
Specifically, according to Bloomberg News – citing people familiar with the matter – ahead of the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week, American and Russian officials are working toward a territorial agreement.
Zelensky: “The US is determined to achieve a ceasefire”
However, a White House official said the Bloomberg report is speculation, while a Kremlin spokesperson did not respond to a request to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have also not made any statements regarding the report.
Nevertheless, in a statement issued by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the report, without referring to it directly, he said: “The US is determined to achieve a ceasefire and we must jointly support all constructive steps. A dignified, reliable and lasting peace can only be the result of our joint efforts,” he emphasized.
It should be noted that the details included in the Bloomberg report have not yet been verified by Reuters news agency.
It is worth noting that Putin claims four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – as well as the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, which he annexed in 2014. His forces do not fully control the territories in the four regions. Tyson Barker, former deputy special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine’s economic recovery, believes the proposal, as presented by Bloomberg, would be immediately rejected by Ukrainians.
“The best Ukrainians can do is remain steadfast in their objections and their terms for a negotiated settlement, while showing gratitude for American support,” Barker said. Under this alleged agreement, according to Bloomberg, Russia would end its military operations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia along current front lines.
