#Putin-#Trump summit begins in #Alaska ... two leaders shake hands :: @POTUS desperate for #ceasefire
All eyes on Putin and Trump meet about ending war in Ukraine; US president says he wants to see a ceasefire and ‘won’t be happy if it’s not today’.
Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine after more than three years of fighting but continues to demand land. Earlier this week the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia wanted the rest of Donetsk oblast, 9,000 square kilometres of territory, in return for a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said Ukraine could not agree, particularly for so little in return. Ukraine’s public would also be unlikely to accept handing over more land to the invader.
Kyiv is willing to accept a ceasefire on the current frontlines, which would be followed by discussions about the future status of occupied territory. It is a particularly sensitive issue. Russia has sought formal recognition of at least some of the territory it has seized, most notably Crimea,
The Russian delegation, a mix of old guard loyalists and younger financial power brokers, hints at Putin’s desire to woo Trump and dangle financial incentives for siding with Moscow on Ukraine.
Trump will also be accompanied by a cadre of his most trusted advisers, among them a property mogul, a former hedge fund billionaire and the country’s top diplomat. Despite earlier media reports, Trump’s vice-president JD Vance and his defence secretary Pete Hegseth were not listed in the official delegation.
The US president has long prized loyalty over experience, and many in Kyiv and the west are uneasy about the lack of seasoned Russia experts with real influence in the White House.
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