Donald Trump has proposed ending the war in Ukraine by effectively ceding most of the Donbas region to Russia, following a tense meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US president said the conflict should “stop at the battle line” and that both sides could “negotiate something later on down the line”.
The comments mark a shift from Trump’s stance in September, when he suggested Ukraine could reclaim all its territory. Since then, his position appears to have been influenced by a lengthy phone call with Vladimir Putin, during which the Russian leader proposed a territorial swap: Ukraine would hand over Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for Russia withdrawing from parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Zelenskyy had travelled to Washington hoping to secure long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, but left empty-handed after the White House meeting, which two sources described as tense. The Ukrainian delegation departed frustrated, according to Reuters. US special envoy Steve Witkoff was among those pressing Ukraine to agree to the land swap.
In a Fox News interview recorded before the Putin call, Trump said Russia had “won certain property” and that Ukraine would have to give up territory. He later told reporters that the fighting should “stop at the lines where they are”, adding that it was “very tough to negotiate” beyond that. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has called for decisive steps from allies, vowing that Ukraine will never grant “terrorists any bounty for their crimes”.
