Putin Demands Donetsk; Europe Backs Cease‑Fire

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told U.S. President Donald Trump he demands Ukraine surrender full control of Donetsk and offered parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as part of a deal to end the war. At a tense White House meeting and in private conversations, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept frozen battle lines and an immediate cease‑fire, a characterization Trump has since denied. Eleven European leaders, including Britain, France, Germany and Finland and the EU, publicly backed an immediate cease‑fire “at the current line of contact.” Zelensky called the talks “good,” pressed for long‑range Tomahawk missiles and requested 25 additional U.S. Patriot batteries while saying Kyiv would not abandon unoccupied territory and noting progress on a major air‑defence deal. Financial Times reporting said the meeting at times devolved into a “shouting match,” and Russia has since stalled planned talks with U.S. officials, undermining prospects for a negotiated pause. Ongoing fighting and strikes on the ground continue to complicate diplomacy and leave the conflict’s immediate course uncertain.