Trump’s reported willingness to see Ukraine cede its remaining territory in the eastern Donbas region as a means of ending the war remains a highly uncertain outcome. Before the Alaska meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had categorically rejected such a scenario, warning that conceding land would only guarantee further aggression and open the door for another war in the future. Despite Trump’s talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where he later informed European Union leaders of his openness to Moscow’s demand, Zelenskyy stood firm in rejecting any compromise involving territorial concessions.
Putin’s insistence that Ukraine relinquish control of Donbas in exchange for halting the war had already been signaled days before the ceasefire arrangements were discussed. The Donbas region has long been a central battleground, with Russian forces intensifying their efforts to break through Ukraine’s defences in Donetsk, the last remaining stronghold outside Moscow’s grip. Luhansk, the other half of Donbas, has already fallen under Russian control, leaving Donetsk as the critical point of contention in the ongoing conflict.
Although Trump has pressed for Ukraine to accept these terms as a route to peace, his efforts are far from straightforward. Following his discussions with Putin, he reportedly phoned Zelenskyy to float the idea of freezing front-line positions in return for Ukraine surrendering Donetsk entirely. According to Reuters, Zelenskyy flatly rejected this proposal, holding firm to the position that such concessions would compromise Ukraine’s sovereignty and embolden Russia further.
Even before Trump met with Putin, Zelenskyy had made his stance clear to the international community. He repeatedly stated that Ukraine would not agree to any deal requiring the surrender of territory, arguing that such steps would merely lay the foundation for renewed conflict down the line rather than secure a lasting peace. His dismissal of Trump’s plan underscored Kyiv’s deep mistrust of Russia’s intentions.
Despite this rejection, Trump reportedly plans to revisit the idea. According to the New York Times, he intends to present the proposal once more to Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian leader’s scheduled visit to the White House on Monday. This suggests Trump remains determined to push forward a deal that aligns more closely with Putin’s demands than with Ukraine’s long-standing red lines.
In return for Donetsk, Russia is said to be offering to hand back small, strategically less important pockets of territory it has seized during the war. However, international observers note that these areas are minor compared to Donetsk’s strategic and symbolic value. Such a trade-off would leave Ukraine weakened and hand Russia its most coveted territorial prize in the region.
At the same time, European leaders are increasingly alarmed that Trump’s approach risks playing directly into Putin’s strategy. Rather than prolonging negotiations over ceasefire terms, the Russian President has now shifted toward a rapid peace deal that would grant him de facto control over Donbas. This approach feeds fears that Moscow is leveraging Trump’s position to cement gains without making meaningful concessions.
For Ukraine, losing Donbas would mean far more than surrendering land. The region is rich in resources and heavily fortified, serving as one of the country’s strongest defensive bastions. To hand it over would not only undermine Ukraine’s military position but also effectively give Putin the key to dominating everything east of the Dnipro River, a strategically vital line that cuts through Ukraine’s core.
Reports from the Financial Times further suggest that Putin is willing to freeze hostilities in southern Ukraine, particularly in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russia already controls most of the territory. Such a move would consolidate Moscow’s grip while giving the appearance of de-escalation. Sources cited by AFP claim that if Ukraine conceded Donbas, Putin would halt offensive operations in these southern regions, effectively locking in Russia’s territorial gains under the guise of peace.
