Russia pushes US to cede entire territories of four Ukrainian regions despite limited control – The Moscow Times
Photo: AP
In Saudi Arabia, the Russian delegation in negotiations with the United States of America is demanding that the territories of four regions of Ukraine—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—be transferred under its control.
The Moscow Times reported this, citing its own sources.
As the publication notes, the Kremlin expects to gain control over these regions within their administrative borders despite not fully controlling any of them.
"Vladimir Putin cannot afford to lose these territories politically, and Russia intends to consolidate control over them at all costs. The Constitution has no mechanism for the regions to leave the Russian Federation. We need all of Zaporizhzhia and all of Kherson," the publication's source noted.
Another interlocutor, who is a current Russian official, noted that Moscow hopes that the United States will put pressure on Ukraine and demand the complete withdrawal of its troops from the regions occupied by Russia.
"Either Trump will influence them to leave, or they will tell us: 'Enter into protracted negotiations and at the same time use military force to establish control.' This is the worst option for us because crossing rivers is always a painful operation," the official explained.
At the same time, journalists report that the Russian Federation may try to seize part of the Dnipropetrovsk or Sumy regions and then offer to exchange them for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
"We hope to find an option where we do not have to cross the Dnipro River and storm Kherson. I really hope that it will not come to this. This will mean thousands of losses for us," the publication's source emphasized.
Additionally, the Kremlin is banking on the possibility that the Trump administration may not prioritize which territories are ceded to Russia.
"As far as I understand, Trump wants to see a modern, well-armed, pro-Western Ukraine. He cannot just give up Ukraine completely. But where exactly the border will be drawn is not so important to him," the interlocutors of The Moscow Times emphasized.
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As experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is demonstrating his disinterest in a negotiated ceasefire and continues to seek to destroy Ukrainian statehood.
In fact, Putin is demanding that Kyiv refuse to join NATO and internationally recognize the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions, and Crimea as Russian territories.
It should be noted that Putin and Trump discussed the settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine on March 18. The dictator actually refused Washington's proposal for a complete cessation, putting forward unworkable conditions for this.
On March 24, in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, after US representatives met with Ukrainian representatives the day before, the American and Russian delegations held new negotiations.
On March 23, the day before, Ukrainian and American delegations met in the capital of Saudi Arabia to consider proposals for the security of energy facilities and infrastructure.
The White House stated that during the negotiations, they would try to achieve a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea for free navigation and discuss the "line of control." In addition, it was noted that Washington is asking Moscow to return deported Ukrainian children as one of the "confidence-building" measures.
