Putin has proposed a ceasefire in the current frontline areas, expressing for the first time or abandoning the highest demand for military action

According to the Financial Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed halting the offensive against Ukraine on the current front lines as part of efforts to reach a peace deal with Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. Putin told Trump's envoy earlier this month that Moscow could give up its claim to sovereignty over four parts of Ukraine's occupied territories, which remain under Kiev's control, three of the people said. The United States has since floated possible solutions, which include Washington's recognition of Russian ownership of the Crimean peninsula and, at a minimum, Russia's de facto control over parts of the four regions it currently controls. It is the first time since the conflict erupted three years ago that Putin has officially said that Russia may give up its top demands for military action. But European officials warned that Mr. Putin could use the apparent concession as bait to entice Mr. Trump into accepting Russia's other demands and imposing them on Ukraine as a fait accompli. "There's a lot of pressure on Kiev right now to drop things so Trump can declare victory," one said.