Putin Rejects Compromise, Demands Additional Territories

President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been involved in diplomatic efforts to broker a possible solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

He has attempted to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept an end to the war on the current front line, presenting this as a realistic compromise that would avoid further bloodshed and pave the way for regional stability.

However, according to agency reports Bloomberg, the American efforts have met with fierce resistance from the Kremlin.

The Russian president has categorically rejected any proposal that does not include Moscow's full control over all territories in the strategic regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Donbass - including those still under the control of the Ukrainian army.

Read too Russia says it is awaiting Ukraine's response to the May ceasefire and offer of direct talks

This demand calls into question any possibility of imminent compromise and demonstrates Putin's determination to achieve the Kremlin's maximalist objectives in the conflict with Kiev.

The negotiations, according to sources close to diplomatic developments, have entered a complete deadlock. Unidentified officials who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity stressed that the parties are further apart than ever before and that any further progress depends on high-level intervention.

In this context, the possibility of direct contact between President Putin and former US President Donald Trump has been mentioned, who, according to some analysts, enjoys a special influence on the Russian leader and could play the role of an extraordinary mediator.

Whether such a meeting will happen and whether it will produce any concrete results remains unclear. But what is certain is that for now the path to peace is more complicated than ever. /Telegraph/