Putin demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donetsk, willing to freeze the southern front in exchange for territorial concessions

On August 16, according to the British Financial Times, < b > Putin asked Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region as a condition for ending the conflict, telling Trump that if his core demands were met, he could freeze the fighting in other areas of the front line. Putin made the request during a meeting with Trump in Alaska on Friday, according to four people with direct knowledge of the talks. Trump then conveyed the message to Zelensky and European leaders on the phone on Saturday, during which he also urged them to give up their efforts to get Moscow to agree to a ceasefire. < b > In exchange for Ukraine handing over the Donetsk region, Mr. Putin said he would freeze the frontlines in the southern Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, where Russian forces control large tracts of land, and would not launch a new offensive to seize more territory, according to three people familiar with the talks. People familiar with Mr. Zelensky's thinking said he would not agree to hand over Donetsk and was hoping to discuss territory with Mr. Trump in Washington, where the two are expected to meet on Monday.