President Trump’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, has stirred up controversy by urging Ukraine to cede the Donetsk region to Russia as part of a peace deal to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. According to reports from the UK Telegraph, Witkoff, who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin five times this year, told Ukraine’s delegation at the White House last Friday that they should surrender the territory currently under Ukrainian control in order to facilitate peace.
This demand to give up Donetsk aligns with the key conditions put forward by Putin in recent talks with Trump. Putin has made it clear that surrendering Donetsk is a precondition for peace, despite Ukraine’s long-standing refusal to cede the region, which Russia has been fighting for since 2014. This would be a significant concession for Ukraine, which views Donetsk as vital to its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
Currently, Russia controls large swaths of eastern Ukraine, including the Donbas region and cities such as Luhansk, Horlivka, Donetsk, and Melitopol. Russia has also seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This area represents about 20% of Ukraine's territory, and includes between 3 and 3.5 million Ukrainians. These territories, along with Crimea—which Russia annexed in 2014—are among the most contentious points in the conflict.
The proposal to surrender Donetsk, especially after years of resistance to Russia’s occupation, is seen as a tough pill for Ukraine to swallow. The eastern regions, including Donetsk, have a large Russian-speaking population, which Putin uses as part of his justification for Russia’s claims. Additionally, the mineral wealth in these areas is another major strategic factor for Russia’s insistence on taking control.
While Trump has repeatedly called for both sides to “stop the killing” and negotiate a deal, Ukraine is unlikely to accept a deal that involves handing over large portions of its territory. Putin’s offer to return parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces, areas currently under Russian occupation, is seen as a minor concession by some, but it’s not enough for Ukraine to relinquish Donetsk.
Trump’s planned meeting with Putin in Hungary, set to occur in the near future, could be pivotal in discussions aimed at bringing an end to the conflict. However, the issue of territorial concessions remains one of the major roadblocks to any ceasefire agreement.
