President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s proposal to secure full control over the Donbas region and freeze the front lines elsewhere as a potential path to ending the war with Ukraine. This endorsement followed Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska, where the Russian leader reiterated his demand for the Donbas territories and his openness to a peace deal that could end the stalemate in areas like Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Donbas, the eastern region of Ukraine along the Russia border, had a pre-war population of around 6.5 million and includes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously rejected the idea of surrendering the territory in the Donbas, arguing that doing so would be unconstitutional and could allow Russia to use it as a staging ground for future attacks.
Trump’s support for a peace deal, rather than a ceasefire, marks a shift from his earlier stance. Following his meeting with Putin, Trump emphasized the need for a direct negotiation with Moscow to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict. Meanwhile, European leaders have welcomed Trump’s efforts to end the war, though they have not expressed a clear preference for a peace deal over a ceasefire.