Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to halt the war in Ukraine at current front-line positions, including a partial withdrawal from contested areas, as part of ongoing peace discussions with the Trump administration, according to a report by the Financial Times. The proposal, conveyed to special envoy Steve Witkoff during a recent meeting in St. Petersburg, marks the most significant concession Moscow has made since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Under the offer, Russia would abandon claims to four partially occupied Ukrainian regions it does not fully control, while retaining the territory it currently holds. In return, U.S. officials involved in the discussions have suggested recognizing Russia's sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014 following a controversial referendum. That concession would constitute a major diplomatic win for the Kremlin, potentially legitimizing the annexation in the eyes of the international community.
While President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he could end the war "within 24 hours" of taking office, the administration's negotiations have so far produced only brief ceasefires. Trump expressed optimism Sunday, writing on Truth Social: "BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!"
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Paris on April 18 that while the U.S. is prepared to "facilitate" peace, it may abandon the talks if they fail to produce meaningful outcomes. "If it's not possible... then I think the president's probably at a point where he's going to say, 'Well, we're done,'" Rubio said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on the reported deal structure, saying he has received no formal proposal and reaffirming his position that Ukraine would not trade away any of its territories, including Crimea. He criticized the recent spike in Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukrainian cities, including a strike on an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia that killed one and wounded 20 others.
On Monday, Putin told Russian television that Moscow had "always looked positively on any peace initiatives," and added that discussions with Kyiv on limiting civilian casualties could proceed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later clarified that Putin was referring to "bilateral negotiations with the Ukrainian side."
Still, Russian forces continued their aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities this week. A drone attack in Kharkiv injured at least seven people, while strikes hit Odesa, Sumy, Donetsk, and other southern regions. In a rare acknowledgment, Putin admitted that a recent Russian missile strike on a congress center in Sumy had hit a civilian building, though he claimed Ukrainian soldiers were present for an award ceremony.
Zelensky has proposed a 30-day halt to long-range strikes on civilian infrastructure, arguing that Russia's response will show whether it is genuinely committed to ending the war. "If Russia does not agree to such a step, it will be proof that it wants to continue doing only things that destroy people's lives," he said Monday.
Ukraine is expected to meet with U.S. and European leaders in London on Wednesday to continue discussions on a possible ceasefire. The talks follow earlier meetings in Paris, where diplomatic sources said the mood had shifted toward exploring a conditional settlement. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, described Putin's recent 30-hour Easter ceasefire as a "marketing stunt" aimed at placating Trump and preventing him from abandoning the talks.
