Ukrainian regions at the centre of Putin’s territorial offer

As our Ukraine correspondent has just reported, Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to halt his offensive and freeze the front line in Ukraine if Volodymyr Zelensky agrees to hand over control of the eastern Donetsk region to Russia.

Multiple news outlets are also reporting that Putin has asked Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas region more widely, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk.

This comes after previous reports suggested Putin’s desire for Ukraine to hand over control in both areas in return for a halt to its military offensive on the front line.

What do we know about Donbas?

The region has been the source of territorial skirmishes between Ukraine and Russia since 2014.

The Donbas region is predominantly Russian-speaking, and after Russia seized Crimea in 2014, its proxy forces captured more than a third of east Ukraine in a war that never came to an end.

Just before he launched the war, President Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent of Ukraine, not just the limited statelets created by Moscow-backed proxies.

Freezing the frontline?

Now, multiple outlets including the Financial Times, Bloomberg and Reuters are reporting that Putin told Trump he would end fighting on the rest of the front line in Ukraine if Zelensky hands over full control of the Donbas region.

As the map below shows, this would require the Ukrainian president to hand over some of the Donbas region that Russia has not yet taken control of. This would also include the majority of Zaporizhzia and Kherson to the south – which Russia has captured.

End of Ukraine war ‘closer than ever’ thanks to Trump, says Starmer

3 hours ago Share Save Emma Rossiter BBC News Share Save

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US President Donald Trump’s actions have brought the end of the war in Ukraine “closer than ever before”, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said. His statement comes despite the fact that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to reach a deal on a ceasefire at a summit in Alaska on Friday. He also said the “path to peace in Ukraine” cannot be decided without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and that the UK’s “unwavering support” will continue as long as it takes. The highly-anticipated meeting between Trump and Putin had been pitched as an important step towards peace in Ukraine, but no concrete agreements were made despite the former saying “great progress” was made.

Zelensky is due to fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet Trump, with the aim of paving the way to further talks. In the wake of the Anchorage summit, Sir Keir spent Saturday morning speaking to western allies. Following the calls, he said in a statement: “I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. “President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. “His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended,” Sir Keir said. Until Putin stops his “barbaric assault”, that allies would “keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions”, he added. France later said Sir Keir would join French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in hosting Kyiv’s allies in a video call of the “coalition of the willing” on Sunday. A Downing Street source told the BBC that any peace deal needed security agreements and “US involvement is a key part of that”. Following a call with Trump on Saturday, Zelensky called for a lasting peace, “not just another pause between Russian invasions”. He stressed Kyiv should be included in future discussions, and said he expected Russia to “increase pressure and strikes” in the coming days to “create more favourable circumstances for talks with global actors”.

A pro-Trump group today sent another fundraising email to supporters that mentioned the president’s meeting with Putin in Alaska.

“I met with Putin in Alaska yesterday! After my meeting with him, I need you to answer just one question… Do you still stand with Donald Trump?” the email reads.

This comes after the group sent an email seeking donations on Friday, ahead of the Alaska summit.

The email read, “I’m meeting with Putin in Alaska! It’s a little chilly. THIS MEETING IS VERY HIGH STAKES for the world. The Democrats would love nothing more than for ME TO FAIL. No one in the world knows how to make deals like me!”

Last Updated: August 16, 2025, 18:23 IST

In a statement released after a debrief with Trump and other European leaders, Starmer welcomed the progress made, despite the Alaska summit ending without a ceasefire deal.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday praised US President Donald Trump for bringing “us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” following high-stakes talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

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The UK PM noted that the next step must involve Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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“President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended,” Starmer said.

“While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.”

Starmer also said he had spoken with Zelenskyy, Trump, and other European partners, confirming that all parties are ready to support the next phase of peace efforts.

He welcomed the willingness of both the United States and Europe to offer strong security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any future deal, calling it “important progress” that could help deter future aggression from Russia.

However, Starmer stressed that until Russia ends its “barbaric assault,” Western nations will continue to increase pressure on Moscow.

“We will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people,” he added.

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Trump and Putin held over three hours of closed-door discussions at a US air base in Alaska on Friday. While no breakthrough was achieved, Trump said he would now push for a broader peace agreement that includes Ukraine’s direct participation.

European leaders, including Starmer, have welcomed the push for a second summit that would include Ukraine’s President, viewing it as a potential path forward in resolving the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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Starmer further reaffirmed the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine, stating, “Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also weighed in on the latest developments.

Close Putin says Russia wants end to war in Ukraine

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Vladimir Putin has reportedly demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region as a condition for ending Russia’s war, and offered to freeze the frontline if his core demands were met.

The Russian leader made the request during his meeting with Trump in Alaska on Friday, and said he would freeze the frontline in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, sources told the Financial Times.

It comes as experts have warned that Russia is being “rewarded” for its invasion of Ukraine, with Putin receiving the red carpet treatment.

“He gave Putin more space to manipulate, mislead and buy time. Alaska has emboldened Putin, who is likely to prolong, not end, the war,” Orysia Lutsevych of think tank Chatham House said.

Volodymyr Zelensky is due to head to Washington DC on Monday to meet Trump, after the US President hailed his meeting with the Russian leader as “very successful”.

A nearly three-hour summit in Alaska on Friday ended without a ceasefire deal or an agreement on pausing Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Reports say that Trump has offered Ukraine Nato-style security guarantees similar to ‘Article 5’, though Kyiv would not officially join the bloc.

This means Nato members would be obliged to respond should Moscow attempt any further attacks in the future.