US President Donald Trump said that he did not tell Zelensky to give Donbas to Russia.
Points of attention
- Trump emphasized that he never discussed surrendering Donbas to Russia and believes in maintaining the current territorial status.
- Both presidents of Ukraine and Russia are urged by Trump to seek a peaceful resolution by stopping at the front lines.
- Trump's proposal for an agreement on existing lines suggests a desire for a swift resolution, potentially under unfavorable conditions for Ukraine.
Trump made an important statement regarding the fate of the Ukrainian Donbas
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine and Russia should stop at the battlefield lines where they are now, while emphasizing that he has never discussed handing over Donbas to Russia. He made this statement while answering questions from reporters aboard Air Force One.
No, we never discussed that. We think they should just stay where they are, on the front lines. The rest is very difficult to discuss if you say, "You take this, we take that."
Donald Trump
President of the United States
When asked about the fate of Donbas, Trump said he believed it should remain divided.
Let everything be divided as it is. It is divided now. I think 78% of the territory is already occupied by Russia. Leave everything as it is. They can... agree on something later.
According to the publication's sources, Trump made this proposal after Zelenskyy stated that he would not voluntarily cede any territories to Moscow.
The meeting ended with (Trump's) decision to make "a deal where we are, on the line of contact."
At the same time, Friday's meeting indicates that Trump may again be seeking to conclude a deal as soon as possible, even if the conditions are unpleasant for Kyiv.
"Everything was pretty bad. The message was: 'Your country will freeze, and your country will be destroyed,' if Ukraine doesn't make a deal with Russia," one of the sources told the publication.
Another source denied Trump's claims that Ukraine would be "destroyed." However, both sources said Trump used profanity several times.
