Washington and Moscow are negotiating an agreement that would formalize Russia’s control over Ukrainian territories seized during the invasion, Bloomberg reported on 8 August, citing sources familiar with the talks.
US and Russian officials reportedly are finalizing terms for a Trump-Putin summit as early as next week, according to sources, cited by Bloomberg. The US is seeking Ukrainian and European approval for the deal, though success remains uncertain.
Putin demands Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. This would require President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to withdraw troops from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts still under Kyiv’s control, handing Russia a victory that its army couldn’t achieve militarily since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Under proposed terms, Russia would halt offensives in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts along current battle lines. Sources cautioned that “the terms and plans of the accord were still in flux and could still change.” Whether Moscow would relinquish any occupied territory, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, remains unclear.
The agreement aims to “essentially freeze the war and pave the way for a ceasefire and technical talks on a definitive peace settlement,” sources said. This shifts from Washington’s earlier demand for Russia to first agree to unconditional ceasefire.
After his 6 August meeting with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin briefed leaders from China, India, South Africa, and other nations on the discussions, the Kremlin reported.
Trump, who promised rapid conflict resolution, has grown frustrated with Putin’s ceasefire refusal. The leaders held six phone calls since February while Witkoff met Putin five times in Moscow.
“I don’t like long waits,” Trump told reporters on 7 August. “They would like to meet with me and I will do whatever I can to stop the killing.”
The deal would represent “a major win for Putin,” who sought direct US negotiations while sidelining Ukraine and European allies. Zelenskyy risks facing “a take-it-or-leave-it deal to accept the loss of Ukrainian territory, while Europe fears it would be left to monitor a ceasefire as Putin rebuilds his forces,” Bloomberg reported.
Multiple US officials expressed skepticism about Putin’s genuine peace interest, particularly regarding deals falling short of his stated war goals: Ukrainian neutrality, abandoning NATO aspirations, and recognizing Russian control over five Ukrainian oblasts.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said officials are “finalizing details for a meeting within the next few days” at an agreed but unnamed venue.
Whether Putin would join trilateral talks with Trump and Zelenskyy remains unclear. Putin said on 7 August he didn’t object to meeting Zelenskyy “under the right conditions, though he said they don’t exist now.”
Ukraine cannot constitutionally cede territory and maintains it won’t recognize Russian occupation of its land.