Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held talks in Anchorage, Alaska, that focused on ending the war in Ukraine. According to reports from the Financial Times and Reuters, Putin demanded a full Ukrainian pull-out from the Donbas—particularly the Donetsk region—as a condition for a cease-fire. In exchange, he offered to freeze fighting along the rest of the front and said Moscow could relax broader territorial claims if his core demands were met. People familiar with the discussions said Trump expressed interest in the proposal and urged Kyiv to “make peace,” signalling the closest alignment yet between Washington and Moscow on terms for halting the conflict. Putin suggested the two leaders reconvene in Moscow, underscoring the Kremlin’s desire to keep negotiations bilateral and to press its agenda quickly. The White House has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Trump on Monday to discuss the Anchorage talks and possible next steps. Separately, a joint statement from several European leaders stressed that "strong security guarantees" for both Ukraine and Europe remain essential, highlighting concern that any deal must not compromise the continent’s long-term security architecture. The diplomacy marks the most serious push toward a negotiated settlement since full-scale hostilities began in 2022. While Putin’s readiness to freeze large portions of the battlefield is viewed as a significant shift, Kyiv has not yet responded publicly. The coming Zelensky-Trump meeting and consultations with European allies will determine whether the initiative can move beyond preliminary understandings toward a formal peace framework.