Key Facts
• August 6: US envoy Witkoff met Russian President Putin in Moscow.
• Proposal: Recognize occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian in exchange for ceasefire.
• Freeze territorial negotiations for 49 or 99 years.
• US offer includes lifting most sanctions and resuming Russian gas and oil imports.
• Proposal excludes NATO non-expansion guarantee demanded by Russia.
• Agreement reached to hold a US-Russia summit soon.
• US suggested a trilateral meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky, but Putin declined.
Summary
The US has proposed freezing territorial negotiations with Russia over occupied Ukrainian regions for 49 or 99 years, effectively recognizing them as Russian in exchange for a ceasefire. The proposal, reported by Polish news outlet Onet, includes lifting most sanctions and resuming imports of Russian energy, favoring Russia. However, it does not guarantee NATO non-expansion, a key Russian demand. The US and Russia agreed to hold a summit soon, but Russian President Putin rejected a suggested trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
