Axios Reports Russia’s Settlement Offer Involves DPR, LPR, Crimea
Axios says envoy Steve Witkoff told EU leaders Russia could settle the Ukraine war if Kyiv ceded DPR, LPR, Crimea, with current positions frozen in other regions.
Axios, citing sources, reported that U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff told European leaders Russia would be ready to settle the conflict in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to cede the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as Crimea.
According to the publication, some participants in the meeting came away with the impression that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be willing to drop what they described as his «claims» to the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions — a move they saw as a significant concession compared to Moscow’s earlier stance. However, the next day, during talks with senior European and Ukrainian representatives, Witkoff clarified that Putin was prepared only to «freeze» the current positions of Russian forces in those areas.
On August 1, Putin stated that Moscow’s terms for a settlement had not changed since the previous summer. In June 2024, he outlined those terms: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and recognition of Crimea as part of Russia.