What Ukrainian areas does Russia's Vladimir Putin want in peace?

President Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska could affect European security and Ukraine war. The absence of Zelensky raises concerns about Western policy, while speculation is growing over the exchange of territories in Donetsk and Luhansk amid continued Russian progress and possible Ukrainian concessions. President Donald Trump’s face-to-face highlight summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska was able to determine the fate of European security and the trajectory of the war in Ukraine (AFP) President Donald Trump’s face-to-face highlight on Friday with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelensky already offers a great blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Speculations have strengthened which areas can try to retain Russian President Vladimir Putin – and which, if any, he is willing to renounce. According to reports, a proposal in a meeting in Moscow was quietly submitted to American envoy Steve Witkoff, involving a Ukrainian withdrawal from the remaining parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for a ceasefire. Is Donetsk in the middle of the latest proposal? The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, jointly known as the Donbas, have been the focal point of Russian ambitions since 2014. Kyiv would still grant the remaining area in Donetsk under Ukrainian control. However, recent developments on the ground have hampered the picture. Over the past week, the Russian forces have made progress in the northeast of Dobropilia, which causes the concerns to change the areas discussed. While Ukrainian officials described these movements as minor infiltrations, other local sources warn that months of sustained Russian pressure exposed weaknesses at the front. Reinforcements have since been sent to the region. What about Kherson and Zaporizhzhia? Outside of the Donbas, questions about Russia’s intentions for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – two regions that have been partially occupied since the 2022 invasion. Moscow currently controls about two -thirds of each, but Zaporizhzhia City and large parts of Kherson remain in Ukrainian hands. Would Putin agree to withdraw from these Ukrainian areas? There is no clear answer. For Kyiv, the ceded of such area would mean that the significant population centers and industrial hubs hand over, and Russia effectively handed over a stronger platform for future offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly warned that the giving of land would only weaken Moscow, citing the annexation of Crimea in 2014 as a precedent for further aggression. Did Putin scale back his war goals? Some observers have interpreted the Moscow meeting as a sign that Putin is willing to compromise. Yet the attitude of the Kremlin seems unchanged. Russia’s Constitution now includes all four partially occupied Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – as part of his area, which underlines the maximalist goals of Moscow. Even though Donetsk was the only immediate question, the political and logistical implications for Kyiv would be serious. Tens of thousands of civilians and troops will have to leave, many of whom can refuse. The execution of such evacuation during active Russian progress would be almost impossible. Can there be a territorial ‘exchange’? In theory, Moscow could offer to renounce other occupied areas in return. But in practice, options are limited. Russian forces hold only small strips of land along the northern border near Sumy and Kharkiv – areas that have the Kremlin labels as ‘buffer zones’ from the recent, largely unsuccessful invasions. Ukrainian officials notice that these areas themselves are Ukrainian area and a negligible concession is compared to the large pieces of land that Russia wants to annex permanently.