US, Russia discuss truce deal that would cement Putin’s territorial gains in Ukraine: Report

The United States and Russia are seeking a deal to halt the war in Ukraine that would formalise Moscow’s control over territories captured during its invasion, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

US and Russian officials are negotiating territorial terms in preparation for a potential summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could take place as early as next week, added the report.

The White House has dismissed the Bloomberg report suggesting a potential US-Russia deal on Ukraine as speculative.

Putin continues to claim sovereignty over four Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — as well as Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. However, Russian forces do not have full control over all of these territories.

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Ukraine has previously indicated some flexibility in seeking an end to the war, which has devastated cities and claimed thousands of lives. Still, any agreement that formalises the loss of roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory would present a politically and emotionally fraught challenge for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government.

According to Bloomberg, the tentative deal under discussion would involve Russia halting its offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, freezing the battlelines as they currently stand.

Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has pushed to repair ties with Moscow and bring the war to an end. His public stance on Putin has fluctuated between praise and criticism.

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Amid mounting frustration over Moscow’s continued military aggression, Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia and its trading partners starting Friday, unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire.

The proposed measures could be postponed or scrapped altogether depending on the outcome of the expected Trump-Putin summit, which may take place in the United Arab Emirates in the coming days.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held three hours of talks with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday that both sides described as constructive.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, a close ally of Ukraine, said earlier on Friday that a pause in the conflict could be close. He was speaking after talks with Zelenskyy.

“There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict - I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict - is closer than it is further away,” Tusk told a news conference. “There are hopes for this.”

Tusk also said Zelenskiy was “very cautious but optimistic” and that Ukraine was keen that Poland and other European countries play a role in planning for a ceasefire and an eventual peace settlement.

With inputs from agencies