Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up all of the eastern Donbas region, renounce ambitions to join NATO, remain neutral and keep Western troops out of the country, three sources familiar with top-level Kremlin thinking told Reuters.

Last month was the deadliest since Putin launched his full-scale war on Ukraine three and a half years ago. In July alone, 286 civilians were killed and another 1,388, according to official data.

President Donald Trump has failed to secure an agreement from Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the bloodshed, even after rolling out the red carpet for the man who started it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has put forward new demands for ending the war against Ukraine, Reuters reports. According to sources familiar with the Kremlin’s position, Putin’s new proposal insists that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the parts of Donbas that are still under Ukrainian control.

Donetsk by October? They’ve been saying that since February of ‘22,” an American serving in the Ukrainian Armed Services said.

Under the proposed Russian deal, Kyiv would fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in return for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the sources said.

Some congressional leaders are expressing cautious optimism about a possible deal to end Russia's war with Ukraine following President Trump's recent meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only after his allies agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine that would deter future Russian att