Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“Putin’s message remains unchanged. He has been listing the same conditions since the Istanbul peace talks in the first weeks of the war, and most of those were unchanged since his proposed talks with the U.S. in the weeks before the war. So why are Trump and Putin meeting now? What’s different? Five important things may have changed recently. The first may be an important concession by Putin. Putin has offered a complete ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws its troops from the Donbas region [formerly] of eastern Ukraine and the Russian annexation of those regions is recognized, including the small area that Russia does not yet control, as well as Crimea.” [editor’s note: Putin’s offer in April 2022 included complete Russian withdrawal from the Donbas. How is his current position a “concession?” – TLK] (08/12/25)