American and Russian officials are working towards a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine that would formalize Russia’s control over territory seized during its military invasion, according to people close to the talks.
The plan under discussion would be linked to a possible summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin planned for as early as next week, the sources said.
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Putin is reportedly demanding that Ukraine cede all of the eastern Donbas region and Crimea, sources said, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
That would require President Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw Ukrainian forces from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control – territory Russia has been unable to capture militarily since the start of its full-scale invasion.
Discussions are currently focused on these territorial aspects of the agreement, with Washington seeking buy-in from Ukraine and European allies. The sources, speaking to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, stressed that no deal is certain.
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Such a settlement would mark a significant victory for Putin, who has sought direct negotiations with Washington on ending the war while sidelining Kyiv and its European partners.
The terms risk leaving Zelensky with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to accept the loss of Ukrainian land or risk losing more American military and financial support.
European capitals fear they could be left to foot the rising bill for NATO security while monitoring a fragile ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia uses as a pause to rebuild its military strength.
The behind-the-scenes talks come amid diplomatic drama following US envoy Steve Witkoff’s three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, which Trump hailed as making “great progress” toward peace.
Earlier Thursday, a senior Trump administration official told Kyiv Post that no Trump-Putin summit would move forward unless Zelensky was also at the table.
But just hours later, Trump told reporters there was no such requirement and that he was willing to meet Putin even without the Ukrainian leader present.
Zelensky has to balance public sentiment too.
A new Gallup poll shows 69% of Ukrainians now favor ending the war through negotiations – a sharp reversal from 2022, when most backed fighting until victory. Only 24% still support continuing the fight until full military success.
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