Media: Washington and Moscow preparing deal on Russian-occupied territories ahead of Trump-Putin meeting

Washington and Moscow are working on an agreement to halt the war in Ukraine that would lock in Russia’s occupation of some of the territories it has seized during its full-scale invasion.

Bloomberg sources said that US and Russian officials are negotiating terms regarding the territories in preparation for a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which could take place as early as next week.

The US is said to be seeking support from Ukraine and European allies for this deal, which is far from certain.

The sources say that as part of the agreement, Russia would halt its offensive in Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts along the current front lines. However, they caution that the terms and plans are still being worked out and may change. It is not yet known whether Moscow is willing to give up any occupied areas, particularly the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The purpose of the deal, the sources say, is to effectively freeze the war and pave the way for a ceasefire and technical talks on a final peace settlement.

The sources also said it is not yet known whether Putin will agree to participate in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Many officials, particularly those from the US, are sceptical that Putin is ready to end the war and genuinely enter into a peace agreement that does not meet his declared objectives in Ukraine.

This is not the first source-based report to have appeared in the media since Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow to meet with Putin. The Polish news outlet Onet recently reported on the content of a US proposal on Ukraine that was presented to Putin during the talks in Moscow.

The proposal is said to have included a clause that would effectively recognise Russian-occupied territories by deferring the issue for either 49 or 99 years.

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters earlier that a meeting between Putin and Trump is expected in the coming days – possibly next week.

Trump said he believed there is a good chance that there will be a meeting with Putin in the near future.

Sky News has reported that Trump has spoken with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about holding the meeting with Putin in Rome.