U.S. President Donald Trump is said to have told European leaders that a swift negotiation with Russia would be possible if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concedes the eastern region of Donbas.
According to multiple foreign media outlets, including The New York Times (NYT), on the 16th (local time), President Trump mentioned this while conveying the results of the U.S.-Russia summit held the previous day in Alaska to European leaders.
Reports indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to President Trump that if Ukraine withdraws from Donbas, he would commit in writing to a ceasefire based on the current front line and would not reattack Ukraine or other European countries.
Donbas is a term that collectively refers to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, and Russia currently controls nearly all of Luhansk and about 75% of Donetsk. However, the western part of Donetsk is under the control of the Ukrainian military.
President Trump appears to have shifted his stance, accepting President Putin's position, moving towards a peace agreement to end the war rather than an immediate ceasefire, despite initially stating in the Alaska summit that he would not discuss "territorial exchange."
Meanwhile, ahead of the meeting with President Trump, President Zelenskyy expressed bewilderment at the results of the U.S.-Russia summit.
On that day, President Zelenskyy pointed out through social media that "Russia has ignored many demands for a ceasefire and has yet to decide when to stop the killing," and noted that "the efforts to end the three-and-a-half-year war between Ukraine and Russia are becoming complicated."
President Zelenskyy has claimed that "the president does not have the authority to negotiate a territorial exchange," having outright dismissed any possibility of related negotiations. According to polls, more than three-quarters of the Ukrainian public are reportedly opposed to "a territorial concession for peace."
European leaders, however, seem to have shown a positive attitude towards President Trump's proposal.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "Trump's efforts have brought the end of the war in Ukraine closer than ever."