LONDON, August 18. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky is ready for concessions and the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict along the current frontline without withdrawing troops from Donbass, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing a source.
According to the source, Zelensky’s goal at the meeting with US President Donald Trump would be to set a "productive peace resolution process without having Ukraine pressed to execute impossible steps, like withdrawing forces" from Donbass. For that, Zelensky is ready to make a "digestible compromise" along the current frontline that Ukrainians could accept, the source said.
The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that, following the Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump proposed a peace settlement plan to European leaders which provides for Ukraine giving up all of Donbass to Russia, including the not yet liberated areas. According to the sources, Trump believes that a swift peace settlement is possible if Zelensky agrees to hand over the remaining part of Donbass to Russia. In return, a ceasefire along the current frontline will be established and security guarantees both for the Kiev regime and Europe will take effect.
Later, Reuters reported that, in a conversation with Trump following his meeting with Putin, Zelensky said that conceding all of Donbass to Russia was impossible.
Zelensky is to meet with Trump in Washington on August 18. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will join him for the meeting with the American leader. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced her plans to attend the meeting.
On August 15, a summit between Russia and the US took place at a military base in Alaska. The talks lasted more than three hours and included several formats: one-on-one in the American leader’s limousine en route to the main venue and in a small group of "three on three." The Russian delegation included Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Following the talks, Putin told the press that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict was the main topic of the summit. The Russian leader also called for a new beginning in bilateral relations and a return to cooperation. He invited Trump to Moscow. For his part, the US president announced the progress achieved in the talks but noted that the two sides had not reached an agreement on everything.