In a significant escalation of behind-the-scenes diplomacy, US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week to push for a ceasefire deal that would freeze the Ukraine conflict along current battle lines, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources close to the negotiations. The April 25 meeting, described as “lengthy” and “intense,” marked another milestone in the ongoing backchannel talks between Washington and Moscow as the war in Ukraine drags into its third year.

Witkoff, seen increasingly as a key figure in President Donald Trump’s renewed diplomatic strategy, has engaged in multiple rounds of discussions with senior Russian officials over the past several months, including at least three direct encounters with Putin. Despite the flurry of dialogue, sources indicated that Putin maintained a firm stance during the latest meeting, reiterating long-standing Russian demands that any peace settlement must include formal recognition of the territories Moscow annexed following referendums in 2022.

Specifically, Moscow insists that Crimea-incorporated into Russia in 2014-and the regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye must be acknowledged as integral parts of the Russian Federation. Putin reportedly told Witkoff that ignoring the “reality on the ground” would doom any peace effort to failure.

“The stability of any future arrangement rests on acknowledging the political and territorial realities that have emerged since 2014,” Putin was quoted as saying by individuals familiar with the closed-door conversation.

The United States’ new approach under........

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