The Russian president demanded that Kiev hand over full control of the Donetsk region to Moscow during a telephone conversation with his American counterpart last week as a condition for ending the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reports, citing two senior officials with knowledge of the details of the conversation.

This demand, according to the same officials, shows that Vladimir Putin is not backing down from his long-standing positions, despite Donald Trump's optimism that an agreement can be reached.

Neither the White House nor the Kremlin immediately responded to requests for comment on this information.

Putin has been trying for 11 years to completely conquer the region, without success, as Ukrainian forces have entrenched themselves deeply, considering Donetsk a key bulwark against a rapid Russian advance towards Kiev.

He would cede other territories in exchange for Donetsk.

During the phone call, Putin reportedly suggested that he would be willing to cede parts of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which he partially controls, in exchange for full sovereignty over Donetsk.

This proposal is considered less ambitious than the one presented by the Russian president last August at the Anchorage, Alaska, summit with Trump.

American White House officials saw this change as a sign of progress, but European diplomats see the opposite.

It's like they're being sold their own leg in exchange for nothing, a senior European diplomat commented characteristically.

Trump did not publicly endorse the Russian request

Trump did not publicly address Putin's demand for Donetsk and did not adopt it in his statement on Friday, following his meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In his post on social media, the US president wrote: It's time to stop the bloodshed and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been spilled, with borders defined by war and guts. Let them stop where they are. Let both claim victory and let History decide.

Trump and Putin are expected to meet in the coming weeks, in Budapest, as part of a new round of negotiations to end the war.

Ukraine left the meeting empty-handed

The Ukrainian delegation had hoped to secure long-range Tomahawk missiles at Friday's meeting, but failed to secure any new military aid.

Sources in Washington said Trump was considering sending the weapons but backed down after Thursday's phone call with Putin.

Speaking alongside Zelensky, Trump said he hoped the war would end without the need to send in the missiles.

The stalemate at the front

The front lines have remained stagnant for the past year, with no significant gains for either side.

Russia controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, while the full invasion began on February 24, 2022.

Ukraine is facing another harsh winter, with Moscow continuing its attacks on its energy infrastructure, a tactic that Kiev is now also following against Russian targets.

Diplomatic preparation for the Budapest summit

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken over the coordination of the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest, which Kiev has welcomed as a potential opportunity for de-escalation.

Ukraine has supported Trump's proposal for a ceasefire on existing fronts, before the start of broader negotiations.

However, Ukrainian officials acknowledge that Russia is likely to retain de facto control of the territories it has seized and are seeking strong security guarantees from the US and its European allies.

Ukraine will never give terrorists any reward for their crimes

Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies today to reject any policy of appeasement towards Russia, upon his return from Washington.

Ukraine will never give terrorists any reward for their crimes and we count on our partners to adhere to this stance, the Ukrainian president wrote on Telegram, calling on his European and American allies to take decisive measures and for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of – mainly – European countries providing assistance to Ukraine, to be held in the near future. We need strong common positions in Europe, he argued.

Attacks on both sides with casualties and damage

In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing power outages across the country as winter approaches.

At least two people were killed today and more than 12 were injured in Russian raids in eastern and central Ukraine, according to local authorities.

Ukraine, for its part, regularly bombs oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia.

A Ukrainian drone attack today forced a plant owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom in the Orenburg region to halt refining from a large neighboring field in Kazakhstan, Kazakh authorities said.

Western companies such as Shell, Eni and Chevron hold a majority stake in the Karachaganak field, whose natural gas is refined, mainly in Russia.

On the front, the Russian army announced today the capture of two more villages in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.

Both sides pointed out that they intercepted dozens of drones launched during the night.