Putin offers to end the war in exchange for Donbas: details of the conditions from WSJ.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to stop the war in Ukraine. However, in exchange, he demands territorial concessions, namely – to give up Donbas.

This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing European and Ukrainian officials.

What Putin demands in exchange for ending the war

According to officials, during a meeting with Trump’s special representative Steve Wittecoff, Putin informed him that he would agree to a full ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws its troops from the entire territory of Donetsk region.

In that case, Russia will gain control over Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which it seized in 2014, and will seek recognition as 'sovereign Russian territory'.

During the third call, which took place on Friday, Wittecoff informed European officials that Russia's proposal includes two stages:

• in the first stage, Ukraine withdraws troops from the Donetsk region, and the front line is frozen;
• in the second stage, Putin and US President Donald Trump agree on a final peace plan, which will then be discussed with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

A Ukrainian official who participated in the call with Trump stated that Kyiv allegedly does not object to any proposals; however, a ceasefire will be a mandatory condition for any further steps.

At the same time, European and Ukrainian officials, whom Trump and Wittecoff informed during the calls this week, fear that Putin may use this initiative as a ploy to avoid new harsh US sanctions and tariffs while continuing the war.

According to WSJ, European representatives during the calls sought to clarify what will happen with the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, where Russian troops control part of the territory. Officials whom the Trump administration informed on Wednesday or Thursday received conflicting impressions about whether Putin intends to freeze the current front line or fully withdraw troops from these regions.

Moreover, it is important to note that there are no mentions of Sumy and Kharkiv regions in the WSJ material.

It should be recalled that recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that territorial issues will become key in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Additionally, Trump has already announced that the peace agreement regarding Ukraine should expect a territory exchange.

Reports of Vladimir Putin's readiness to stop the war in Ukraine in exchange for territorial concessions generate significant interest in the international community. Ukrainian and European officials are considering the proposal but simultaneously express outrage regarding the potential for Putin to use this initiative to evade new sanctions and continue the war. The key importance of territorial issues in the context of conflict resolution has been underscored by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump himself.