- By Shivangi Sharma
- Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:12 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly laid out tough conditions for any peace deal in Ukraine, demanding Kyiv surrender the eastern Donbas region, abandon its NATO ambitions, and guarantee that no Western troops or peacekeepers will ever be stationed in the country.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Putin presented these conditions during a closed-door summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, the first US-Russia meeting of its kind in more than four years. The three-hour meeting was dominated by discussions on Ukraine, with both leaders hinting at the possibility of a compromise but withholding details.
Speaking alongside Trump after the summit, Putin said he hoped the talks would “open up the road to peace in Ukraine.” Trump, portraying himself as a mediator, declared, “I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended. I feel confident we are going to get it solved.”
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Trump has reportedly begun efforts to arrange a direct meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by a trilateral summit with Washington. However, Ukrainian officials expressed scepticism, pointing to fresh Russian strikes as evidence that Moscow is not serious about peace.
Russian Strikes Undermine Diplomacy
On the same day as the Alaska talks, Ukraine’s air force reported one of the heaviest barrages in recent months. Russia launched 574 drones and 40 missiles, of which Ukrainian defences intercepted 546 drones and 31 missiles.
Despite the interceptions, casualties, and damage were significant. In Lviv, one person was killed and two were injured in a combined drone and cruise missile attack. “Dozens of residential buildings were damaged,” regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi confirmed.
In Mukachevo, near Ukraine’s western border with Hungary and Slovakia, 15 people were injured. Five patients remain hospitalised, while one has been transferred to a regional hospital, local officials reported.
President Zelensky condemned the attacks, saying: “The Russians carried out this attack as if nothing has changed at all, as if there are no global efforts to stop this war. This requires a response. There is still no signal from Moscow that they truly intend to engage in substantive negotiations.”