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DLNews World at War:

Territorial Claims Revealed: This is What Putin Demanded from Trump in Alaska

What happens when two of the world’s most unpredictable leaders vanish behind closed doors for three hours in the icy remoteness of Alaska? The cameras only got twelve minutes of polite smiles, stiff handshakes, and carefully rehearsed phrases. But once the press lights dimmed, whispers began to leak—and the whispers sound a lot like ultimatums.

According to multiple reports, Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin came armed with a list of demands for President Donald Trump in hopes of hammering out a grand bargain on Ukraine. The most striking? Ukraine should withdraw from the remainder of Donetsk, a region where Kyiv still holds about a third of the ground. For Putin, full control would not only cement Russia’s claim but also save him from the kind of grinding street battles his army has bled through before. For Ukraine, it would mean losing one of its strongest defensive strongholds. President Volodymyr Zelensky wasted no time making his stance clear, declaring on X that peace requires Moscow to “end the killing,” not Kyiv to hand over more territory.

But Donetsk was only part of Putin’s wishlist. He reportedly insisted that Moscow keep control over the chunks of Kherson and Zaporizhia it already occupies, offering in exchange to “freeze” the southern front lines. In other words, Russia pockets its current gains and locks them in—no refunds, no negotiations. Putin also rejected the idea of a ceasefire altogether. His version of “peace” is an immediate deal on his terms, followed by silence on the battlefield.

Where does Trump stand in all this? That depends on whom you ask. In public, he dodged calls for a ceasefire and instead floated the idea of a sweeping peace agreement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed Trump pledged security guarantees to Ukraine, yet European officials whispered to the New York Times that Trump privately leaned toward Putin’s land-for-peace formula. The result: a fog thick enough to match Alaska’s coastline.

For now, the war grinds on, the maps remain unchanged, and speculation over the secretive summit only grows louder. Zelensky is set to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, and European leaders may join him. Until then, the world is left guessing whether Alaska was the beginning of a breakthrough—or just another chapter in the endless geopolitical poker game where Putin always demands more chips and Trump keeps everyone guessing about which side of the table he’s on.