VLADIMIR Putin is ready to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump, sources claim.
But the Russian tyrant is understood to have a list of heavy demands – including Kyiv abandoning its plan to join Nato.
AFPDonald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in 2018[/caption]
AlamyUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pictured yesterday[/caption]
Trump will take over as US president in January and has promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking charge.
And insiders say Putin is open to discussing a peace deal.
Bullish Vlad is already dictating hardline terms for any deal brokered by Trump, sources say.
The Kremlin could agree to freeze conflict along frontlines – but will refuse to surrender any significant territory, five current and former Russian officials told Reuters.
Vlad’s forces are continuing to gain ground and Russia claims to have grabbed more eastern territory in recent days.
Sources say there could be room for negotiation over the precise carve-up of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Moscow claims the four eastern regions are wholly part of Russia – but open-source data shows up to 30 per cent is still held by Ukrainian defenders.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said: “The manner in which the Kremlin is trying to set its terms for negotiations strongly signals that Russia’s objectives remain unchanged and still amount to full Ukrainian capitulation.
“The Kremlin does not appear any more willing to make concessions to the incoming Trump administration than it was to the current administration.”
Embattled Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to not rest until every Russian soldier is driven out of his territory.
Earlier this month, Putin insisted Ukraine must be “neutral” for any chance of peace.
He said: “If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine the existence of any good-neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine.
“Why? Because this would mean that Ukraine will be constantly used as a tool in the wrong hands and to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation.”
But it is feared brokering a peace deal could be delayed by Joe Biden’s decision 1,000 days into the war to allow Ukraine to fire US-supplied missiles into Russia.
Kyiv for the first time on Tuesday used ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory.
Just hours before, Putin’s mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov said: “Putin has already said that freezing the conflict will not work in any way.
“And the missile authorisation is a very dangerous escalation on the part of the United States.”
Video appeared to show the ATACMS strike on Russian territory
And today the US embassy in Kyiv has been urgently evacuated as the Ukrainian capital braces for a huge revenge strike from Russia.
Furious Putin puppets warned Moscow would “react accordingly”.
The US embassy quickly shut its doors today after receiving information about a “potential significant air attack” on Kyiv.
It said: “Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place.”
The embassy told US citizens to “be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced”.
The UK government is also examining the security situation for Brits in Kyiv “incredibly closely”.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Moscow will respond to Ukraine‘s strikes with US-made weapons deep into Russia.
In September, he said it would “mean that Nato countries are at war with Russia”.
And just days after the US approved Ukrainian use of its far-reaching rockets, Vlad signed a new doctrine to lower the bar for launching a nuclear strike.
Almost simultaneously, Ukrainian media reported the first use of the ATACMS missiles on Russian territory.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
