Putin reportedly makes major offer to freeze Ukraine invasion in exchange for concessions
Moscow, Russia - Vladimir Putin has offered to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the current front line, according to a new report, as Donald Trump seeks to make good on his promise to end the three-year conflict.
A Financial Times report quotes "people familiar with the matter" who said Putin made the proposal during a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg earlier this month.
The article comes as Western and Ukrainian diplomats were expected to gather in London to discuss a potential settlement in the more than three-year conflict, with media speculation about what is on the table in the talks.
The Russian leader indicated he would be willing to withdraw Moscow's claims to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – four regions it partially occupies – the FT reported.
In return, the US would accede to Russia's other major demands, including recognizing its sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula that it annexed in 2014, and barring Ukraine from joining NATO.
The Kremlin later appeared to deny the claims.
"A lot of fakes are being published at the moment, including by respected publications, so you should only listen to primary sources," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti.
Kyiv and its European allies have demanded a complete restoration of Ukraine's pre-2014 borders, a position that beleaguered US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as "unrealistic."
Cover photo: Collage: via REUTERS