“LAUGHING” Vladimir Putin is laying a trap for the West by demanding to keep hold of Ukrainian land, the EU’s top diplomat has warned.
Putin wants to starve Ukraine of Western boots on the ground, ban the country from ever joining NATO and cap the size of its army, Kremlin sources revealed.
Putin wants to block Ukraine from ever joining NATO
Ukrainian troops are bravely clinging on to the last stronghold in the Donbas
Putin’s reel of ruthless demands was unchanged by his meeting with Trump
During his Alaska summit with Trump, Putin demanded the entire eastern Donbas region from Ukraine – dubbed the “fortress belt” – in exchange for peace.
Russia has already overrun most of its two areas, Donetsk and Luhansk, but Ukraine is bravely clinging onto one well-fortified corner.
Zelensky has made it crystal clear that he is not willing to hand land to Russia as part of any peace deal.
Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said these demands are a “trap that Putin wants us to walk into”.
The diplomat told the BBC: “Putin is just laughing, not stopping the killing but increasing the killing. We are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession.”
Trump has backed the need for “swapping of territories” in peace negotiations – raising fears he could be strolling straight into this trap.
Putin’s reel of demands has did not shift after the Alaska summit, according to new reports citing multiple sources familiar with the Kremlin.
He is reportedly refusing to accept any Western boots on the ground to prop up a peace deal – even though that is one of the fundamental expectations of the security guarantees being drafted between the US and Europe.
Putin is also contining to insist that Ukraine can never be allowed to join Nato – and that the size of its armed forces should be limited.
Kallas said Putin got “everything he wanted” and more out of the Alaska summit – which could mean he is less compelled to negotiate peace.
Putin feels he has the upper hand on the battlefield, Kallas warned, meaning he could string along the West and happily hoover up attention at high-profile summits.
And the ball is in his court to set up a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky.
All parties involved in the negotiations are willing that to happen as soon as possible – but the Kremlin is again dragging its feet.
Putin’s henchman Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the Russian despot is ready for an in-person meeting – but only after working through a list of vague “issues”.
AFPKaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, warned that Putin is ‘laughing’ at the West[/caption]
EPAFirefighters battle a blaze in Lviv, Ukraine after a massive Russian strike overnight on Wednesday[/caption]
GettyA US electronics manufacturer in Ukraine was hit by Russian strikes this week[/caption]
The Foreign Minister claimed: “Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr Zelensky.”
But he insisted the meeting would only happen “with the understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out”.
‘Fortress belt’ in Putin’s sights
It comes as Ukraine’s Donbas region has become a key impasse in the peace negotiations.
It would be a valuable prize for Putin with murderous potential – and one he has sought for over a decade.
At last week’s Alaska summit, Putin declared he would freeze the frontline if Ukraine handed over the last remaining enclave of the Donbas.
GettyPutin made the Donbas region a key point of discussion at the Alaska summit[/caption]
GettyStrikes on Ukraine continued even as Zelensky and EU leaders sat down with Trump in Washington[/caption]
But Kyiv has consistently rejected the idea of releasing any territory it currently holds – setting up a major sticking point in the negotiations.
The Donbas is Ukraine’s industrial powerhouse and holds rich reserves of coal and metal underground.
By taking it all, Russia would totally suffocate the vital supply of those vital raw materials to Ukraine.
The Donbas is also a crucial strategic location in the conflict as a gateway guarding the central heartland of Ukraine – built around the country’s “fortress belt”.
This refers to a string of heavily-defended towns and cities which Russia has so far failed to seize control of.
The valley around the Kazenyi Torets river, which runs through the unconquered region, has been fortified into a defensive stronghold.
APUkrainian troops in a dugout just behind the front line in Zaporizhzhia[/caption]
ReutersA firefighter works at the blaze at the electronics manufacturer targeted by Russia[/caption]
Over more than a decade, defensive lines have been embedded into the terrain and the slopes measured up for artillery ranges.
Ukraine’s army knows every inch of the land – hence the Russians have been unable to penetrate it.
With the Donbas out of the way, Putin’s ranks would find it much easier to storm through and take large swathes of central Ukraine in any future attacks.
It has long been one of the most Russian speaking parts of Ukraine – and political loyalties there have sometimes landed in favour of Russia.
While the remaining piece of land demanded by Putin may be small, the future of a vast area would be destabilised if it falls into Russian hands.