Vladimir Putin is ready for the deal of all deals but there's a huge catch, says oligarch

A prominent exiled Russian oligarch believes that Vladimir Putin is prepared to strike a deal on Ukraine with Donald Trump to bring the war to an end.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon, spoke with U.K. broadcaster Trevor Phillips on Sunday, suggesting that any agreement could involve surrendering territory to Russia.

He said, "I have the impression that Putin has sent Trump a signal that he is ready for a deal. Putin wants to get the whole of Donbass, those parts he hasn't occupied yet."

He also cautioned that Putin could attempt to secure territorial gains in eastern Ukraine to "destabilise the situation" in the rest of the country.

When discussing U.S. and Russia relations amid speculation about a potential Trump-Putin meeting in Hungary, he said, "I have already started getting doubts about understanding Putin and what he really wants.", reports the Express US.

He also confessed he "never had any idea" about Trump or how to comprehend him.

Khodorkovsky is the former chief of the oil company Yukos and spent over a decade in a Russian prison. He now lives in London and has been highly critical of Britain's diplomatic responses to the Kremlin.

He believes the UK is poorly positioned to influence Russia.

"What Britain lacks today is expert knowledge about Russia, which it possessed about 30 years ago. It would make sense for the U.K. to also have a dialogue with people with the knowledge and expertise, and who are natural allies of the British government," he explained.

"I think by putting psychological pressure on Putin, creating a set of problems for Putin that he has to resolve himself or be engaged in resolving himself, and the consolidation of the opposition is one of such problems - all this is actually an opportunity to put pressure on the pivotal point of this conflict. And the pivotal point is Putin himself."

Should the Russian tycoon attempt to return to Russia, he faces the prospect of life behind bars, he revealed to the presenter, noting that the Kremlin has recently slapped him with an additional charge.

Khodorkovsky said he believed it "could also mean violence used against me outside Russia".

Whilst he remains under threat from Russia, he persists in campaigning for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

"Stopping this war... would be much more important than waiting another few years for Putin to leave the stage," he said.

President Trump is scheduled to meet Putin in Hungary for their forthcoming summit, marking the Russian leader's first confirmed visit to an EU nation since the Ukraine war commenced in February 2022.