Russia weighs halt to peace talks unless Ukraine cedes territory - The Japan Times

Russian officials increasingly consider there’s no point to continue U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine unless Kyiv is willing to cede territory to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Talks planned for next week will be decisive in whether or not the sides can agree on terms to end the war, two people close to the Kremlin said. Russia will likely walk away if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fails to make the concession, they said, asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive.

Russia is ready to sign a draft memorandum for a peace accord if Ukraine agrees to withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region, one of the people said. That would be followed quickly by a presidential summit between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Zelenskyy to confirm the deal, triggering a mutual pullback of the Russian and Ukrainian armies, the person said.