Trump to back ceding of Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of peace deal [View all]

[erronis]

Source: The Guardian

Details of post-summit call were leaked in which US president supports plan for Kyiv to give up Donbas region

Donald Trump will back a plan to cede unoccupied Ukrainian territory to Russia to secure an end to the war between the two countries, it was reported on Saturday, after details of his post-summit call with European leaders leaked out.

Trump told European leaders that he believed a peace deal could be negotiated if the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, agreed to give up the Donbas region, which Russian invaders have not been able to seize in over three years of fighting, the New York Times reported, citing to two senior European officials.

Two sources with direct knowledge of the talks in Alaska told the Guardian that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, which is made up of the Donestk and Luhansk regions, as a condition for ending the war, but offered Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/16/ukraine-russia-peace-deal-donbas-region

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Trump’s support for ceding Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is rich in mineral resources, including coal and iron ore, to Russia comes as he voiced support for moving straight to a peace deal and not via a ceasefire, which, Trump said in a social media post on Saturday, “often times do not hold up.”

US support for ceding the Donbas to Russia represents a breach with Ukraine and European allies that oppose such a deal.