Without Ukraine and Europe: Putin is trying to persuade Trump to make direct agreements with the Kremlin

The Kremlin is trying to force US President Donald Trump to abandon the negotiation process with Ukraine and Europe. Moscow’s main goal is to impose Russian demands, which it promoted during the US-Russia summit in Alaska in August 2025.

This is stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts are paying attention to the statement of Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov after Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the American delegation, which took place on January 22-23. Ushakov said that, in his words, “there is no hope” for a long-term settlement of the war without resolving the territorial issue according to the so-called formula, which the US and Russia allegedly agreed on during the summit in Alaska.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on January 23 that Moscow considers it inappropriate to publicly disclose the details of the “Anchorage formula”, while emphasizing that Russia considers the withdrawal of Ukraine’s troops from the entire Donbas, in particular from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, to be a key condition for a peaceful settlement.

According to sources close to the Kremlin, the Russian side considers the “Anchorage formula” as a mechanism that involves Ukraine transferring all of Donbas to Russia and freezing the current front lines in other parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.

At the same time, ISW analysts note that in recent weeks, Donald Trump has been conducting active negotiations with Ukraine and European partners, which has contributed to progress in creating conditions for achieving sustainable peace. As part of this process, Ukraine, according to ISW, has already made significant concessions, in particular, changing the legislation to allow elections to be held during martial law.

Analysts also report that the United States, together with Ukraine and European partners, finalized the initial 28-point peace plan, reducing it to 20 points, which indicates an intention to end the war in close coordination with allies.

“The Kremlin is using the ambiguity surrounding the summit to hide the fact that it is Russia, not Ukraine, that is obstructing the negotiation process by maintaining its initial military demands,” the ISW assessment says.

By the way, Washington is considering an offer to Ukraine to give up Donbas in exchange for a plan to finance the country’s reconstruction worth $800 billion.

As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Donbas issue will be central during the trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia , which will be held in the UAE on January 23-24.

As a reminder, the US and Ukraine are discussing the possibility of offering Russia a limited “energy truce,” which would involve a cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure by both sides.

Also follow “ Pryamym ” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram .