Donald Trump has told European leaders he believes a peace deal could be negotiated if the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, agrees to give up the Donbas region, which Russian invaders have not been able to seize in over three years of fighting, the New York Times reported on Saturday after his summit with Vladimir Putin.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the talks in Alaska told the Guardian that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, which is made up of the Donestk and Luhansk regions, as a condition for ending the war, but offered Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline.
Although Luhansk is almost entirely under Russian control, Ukraine still holds key parts of Donetsk, including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and heavily fortified positions whose defence has cost tens of thousands of lives.
Here are the key US politics stories at a glance:
Trump to back ceding of Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of peace deal
Donald Trump will back a plan to cede unoccupied Ukrainian territory to Russia to secure an end to the war between the two countries, it was reported on Saturday, after details of his post-summit call with European leaders leaked out.
West Virginia to deploy hundreds of national guard troops to Washington DC
West Virginia is to deploy 300 to 400 national guard troops to Washington DC at the request of the Trump administration, the state’s governor said on Saturday.
US state department stops issuing visas for Gaza’s children to get medical care
The US state department announced on Saturday that it would stop issuing visas to children from Gaza in desperate need of medical care after an online pressure campaign from Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer close to Donald Trump who has described herself as “a proud Islamophobe”.
Thousands join ‘Fight the Trump Takeover’ protests against Republican redistricting plans
Thousands gathered in cities and towns across 34 states on Saturday for a national day of protest against Republican redistricting plans in Texas and elsewhere. “Fight the Trump Takeover” was anchored in Austin, Texas, with other sites spread nationwide.
RFK Jr denies 2028 presidential ambitions after attacks from Trump influencer Laura Loomer
The US health and human services (HHS) secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has fended off an attack by conservative firebrand and Donald Trump influencer Laura Loomer by issuing a statement of fealty to the president which calls it “a flat-out lie” that he is running for the White House in 2028.
What else happened today:
A new wave of book bans has hit Florida school districts, with hundreds of titles being pulled from library and classroom shelves as the school year kicks off.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on Friday 15 August
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