Trump has said that a potential peace deal will involve “some swapping” of territories as the U.S. intensifies efforts to broker a peace deal.<\/p>\n
“Well you’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three-and-a-half years… So we’re looking at that but we’re actually looking to get some back,” Trump said during a press conference alongside the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Some swapping, it’s complicated.”<\/p>\n
“We’re going to get some back. We’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump added.<\/p>\n
Putin reportedly proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, offering a halt in hostilities in exchange for Ukraine’s eastern regions<\/a>, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing European and Ukrainian officials.<\/p>\n The planned Aug. 15 event will mark their first face-to-face meeting since Trump<\/a> returned to the White House in January.<\/p>\n In July, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Putin to end hostilities or face 100% secondary tariffs. As trade between the U.S. and Russia is limited, the measure would effectively target countries purchasing Russian oil<\/a>, such as China or India.<\/p>\n Trump eventually shortened the deadline as he increasingly voiced frustration with Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and Moscow’s delays in the peace process, giving Putin until Aug. 8<\/a> to accept the deal.<\/p>\n The U.S. president later denied naming a specific percentage on the planned secondary tariffs, even as he slapped an additional 25% tariff on India<\/a> on Aug. 6 over its purchases of Russian oil, on top of 25% duties announced earlier.<\/p>\n Starting his second term in office with a pledge to end the war in Ukraine<\/a> within 24 hours, Trump’s peace efforts stalled as Moscow continued to reject an unconditional ceasefire backed by Kyiv and European allies.<\/p>\n After months of deadlock, U.S.-Russian diplomatic efforts gained fresh momentum this week after Witkoff met Putin<\/a> in Moscow on Aug. 6, reaching an agreement on a summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders.<\/p>\n Trump is also reportedly aiming to follow up the meeting with a trilateral summit involving President Volodymyr Zelensky. While the Ukrainian president signaled he is ready for such a format<\/a>, Putin claimed he does not oppose the meeting in principle, but added that certain “conditions” must first be met.<\/p>\n The Russian leader has shown little interest in halting hostilities as he reportedly believes<\/a> his forces hold the upper hand on the battlefield. <\/p>\n Recent battlefield reports show Moscow’s troops are closing in on key front-line towns in Donetsk Oblast, such as Pokrovsk<\/a> and Chasiv Yar<\/a>, while Ukraine faces manpower shortages<\/a>.<\/p>\n Russia currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea<\/a>, limited border areas in the Kherson and Sumy oblasts, and significant parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. <\/p>\n Peace demands previously voiced by Moscow included full control of the latter four regions, limits on Ukraine’s military strength, a ban on Kyiv’s entry into NATO<\/a>, measures promoting the Russian language in Ukraine, and more.<\/p>\n In turn, Kyiv has rejected any formal recognition of Russian territorial claims or restrictions on joining international alliances and stressed that territorial discussions must be preceded by a full ceasefire<\/a>.<\/p>\n Talking to European leaders and Zelensky on Aug. 6, Trump reportedly<\/a> said that Putin is open to negotiations if land swaps are included in the talks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n