Ukraine Urges Ceasefire Amid Reports of Russia Retreating from Territorial Claims

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is willing to negotiate with Russia once a ceasefire takes hold, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to halt the invasion at the frontlines and relinquish its claims to four Ukrainian regions.

The development comes, which has raised scepticism among the United Kingdom and European officials that Putin is serious about ending the war.

On Monday, Putin suggested opening talks with Ukraine for the first time since early in the war, .

United States special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Putin in Russia later this week, three months into negotiations between the US and Russia.

Ukraine is participating in discussions in London with the US and other Western countries on Wednesday.

What are the leaders saying?

Zelenskyy has not directly replied to Putin’s offer of bilateral talks but has consistently advocated for a ceasefire.

“We are ready to record that after a ceasefire, we are ready to sit down in any format so that there are no dead ends,” he told reporters in the presidential office in Kyiv.

Russia has previously indicated it would be unwilling to cede its land claims to four Ukrainian regions in negotiations, but that stance has changed, according to reports by the Financial Times.

It reports that Putin offered to relinquish the claims during a meeting with Witkoff earlier this month in St Petersburg.

A colourful map of Crimea with Ukraine and Russia on either side.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to halt the invasion of Ukraine along the front lines, but not cede the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

Russia claimed to annex four Ukrainian provinces after its full-scale invasion in 2022: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.

Putin would also halt his invasion of Ukraine along the front lines, the Financial Times reported, but not cede the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea and freezing the war’s frontlines.

Zelenskyy has long maintained Ukraine would never recognise such a claim.

Why don’t Europeans trust Russia?

European officials believe Russia is not ready to agree to a ceasefire because Putin has continued to target Ukraine during talks with the US.

UK defence secretary John Healey said Putin’s promises do not line up with the military reality, following Russia’s barrage against Ukraine over Easter.

“While Putin has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it. While Putin says he wants peace, he rejected a full ceasefire. And while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in negotiations,” Healey told the UK parliament.

Trump said last week the US could there was progress within days, saying over the weekend that “hopefully” there would be a deal “this week”.

— With reporting by Reuters

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