Trump says Russia, Ukraine should halt clash front line in Donbass
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump said that both Russia and Ukraine should halt hostilities and maintain their current positions in the Donbass region, arguing that Moscow already controls almost all of the territory.
Trump’s comments came after separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky last week.
“We think what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are. The rest is very tough to negotiate,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
“They should stop right now at the battle lines, go home, stop killing people, and be done,” he added.
When pressed about the situation in Donbass, Trump said, “Let it be cut the way it is. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now. They can negotiate something later on.”
The Donetsk and Lugansk regions declared independence in 2014 after a Western-backed coup in Kiev, triggering years of armed conflict. The Minsk Agreements later called on Ukraine to ensure language rights and grant autonomy to the regions, but clashes continued, leaving thousands dead.
In 2022, both territories voted to join Russia — a move Kyiv rejected as illegal. Moscow has since asserted control over nearly all of Donbass, while Ukrainian forces reportedly hold only small parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics.
Russian officials insist that a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbass and recognition of Russia’s expanded borders are prerequisites for lasting peace.
Zelensky, meanwhile, expressed support for Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire but maintained that Ukraine would not cede any “additional” territory to Russia.
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