Putin requires full control over partially occupied regions of Ukraine, negotiations with the United States have come to a dead end - Bloomberg

Putin insists that Russia should be transferred full control over the four regions of Ukraine, which are partially occupied by the Russians, and this, according to Putin’s request, should be part of any agreement on the termination of the war, Bloomberg writes with reference to three sources in Moscow, familiar with the situation.

According to the two sources, the special Steve Whitkoff specialist, at a meeting in the Kremlin on April 25, tried to convince Putin to agree to a ceasefire along the current front line. However, the latter insisted that the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions should remain under the control of Russia. These regions were enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation as Russian territories, despite the fact that Russia never completely controlled them.

Negotiations came to a standstill, and, as one of the interlocutors claims, further advance is possible only in personal negotiations between Putin and Trump. So far, there are no tangible signs that Putin is ready to move away from his maximalist demands on the Ukrainian regions and accept US proposals to end the war, European officials familiar with the course of discussions said. They add that over the next two weeks it will become clearer whether the United States will be able to agree with Russia and Ukraine, or decide to strengthen pressure on Moscow.

Putin announced a three-day ceasefire since May 8 in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory over Nazi Germany. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in response, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days, saying that it makes no sense to wait until May 8, and accusing Russia of “manipulations”. Russia will not agree to a long-term truce until Putin’s “nuances” will be taken into account, Peskov said on April 29 in response to Zelensky’s initiative about a 30-day truce.

The United States, which hoped to achieve a permanent truce by April 30, in order to dignily celebrate the first 100 days of Trump's presidency, expressed disappointment with the announced Putin truce. The Trump administration also requires that Russia returned to Ukraine the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant - the largest in Europe - captured at the beginning of the war. The United States plan to take control of it to manage the energy supply of both parties. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with CBS Face The Nation, excluded such an opportunity, saying: “I do not think that any changes are possible.”

The White House spokeswoman Karoline Levitt said that Trump was “more and more disappointed” by both Russian and Ukrainian leadership. Trump also said : "It seems that Putin does not want to stop the war and leads me by the nose."

Reuters previously published a US plan on a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. It was reported that the states are ready to recognize Russian control over the Crimea annexed in 2014, as well as “freeze” the front line, de facto providing Russia with actual control over the occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions. It is stipulated that Ukraine will refuse plans to join NATO, sanctions from Russia will be gradually lifted, and Kyiv will receive reliable security guarantees. Also, Russia will have to recognize the right of Ukraine to develop its own army and defense industry.