Putin Wants All of Donbas, Trump Says Zelensky Must Sign Something

President of the United States Donald Trump has stated that a peace agreement on Ukraine will involve “some exchange of territories.”

“You're looking at territory that has seen over three and a half years of fighting… So we're considering that option, but we actually want to get some of it back and exchange some,” Trump said.

According to him, the process will be complicated, “but we will get something in return.”

“We're going to swap some things. There will be a territorial exchange, which will benefit both sides,” he asserted.

Trump also remarked that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “will have to prepare to sign something.”

Putin Demands Full Control of Donbas

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, earlier this week Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a proposal during a meeting with US special envoy Steven Witkoff to end the war in Ukraine if Russia receives full control over the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia already controls most of Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. However, Putin is demanding Ukraine surrender the remaining territory still under Kyiv's control.

Putin’s proposal reportedly contains no guarantees beyond an immediate cessation of hostilities. European and Ukrainian officials have expressed concern that the plan is merely an attempt by Putin to avoid newly proposed sanctions by Trump.

“We are going to swap some things. There will be a territorial exchange, which will benefit both sides.” — Donald Trump

Two-Stage Proposal Presented by Witkoff

According to Witkoff’s briefing to European countries, the proposed plan would consist of two stages. First, Ukraine would cede the entirety of Donbas. Second, Trump and Putin would jointly present a roadmap for ending the war, which would then be followed by formal negotiations with Ukraine.

Officials in Kyiv have said they are not ruling anything out but insist that any peace process must begin with a full ceasefire. Under Ukraine’s constitution, any territorial concessions must be approved via national referendum.

Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit Location To Be Announced

President Trump also stated he would soon meet with President Putin and that the summit location would be “very popular for many reasons.”

The announcement came during a trilateral meeting in Washington with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, broadcast on the official White House YouTube channel.

“We’re going to announce the location — maybe very soon — and I think you’ll be very happy... We will announce the venue today,” said Trump.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the United States was prepared to hold a summit with Russia, but emphasized the need for progress beforehand to ensure it would be “productive and worthwhile.”

The decision to hold a summit between Trump and Putin was reached following talks between the Russian president and US special envoy Steven Witkoff in Moscow on August 6.

'Last Chance for Peace' 

"You're looking at territories that have been fought over for three and a half years... We're considering returning some, exchanging others. It's complicated. Some will come back, some will be swapped — there will be a territorial exchange."

• Potential exchanges and returns in territorial terms will benefit both sides, and this matter will soon be discussed.
• In order to reach a settlement around Ukraine, Zelensky must be ready "to sign something" and secure all the necessary approvals within the country.

Trump also responded to the question of whether it’s true that Zelensky would need a referendum or action by the Rada to make certain decisions:

“He (Zelensky) has started working to obtain what is needed. Not authorized to do certain things? I said, well then, he needs to get the authorization quickly, because we’re moving toward a deal. And he’s doing that," Trump said.

• Trump stated that he believes Putin is genuinely interested in achieving peace in Ukraine.
• According to the U.S. president, both Putin and Zelensky are interested in resolving the conflict.
• There is a chance of a meeting involving Putin and Zelensky, but the matter must still be settled.

Trump warned that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could have escalated into a world war without U.S. involvement.

He added that he would prefer not to use the phrase "last chance for peace" when referring to the upcoming meeting with Putin.