Trump Pressures Zelensky to Surrender Donbas Region During Tense Washington Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently rejected any territorial concessions in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

A senior Ukrainian official revealed to AFP that US President Donald Trump urged Zelensky to surrender the eastern Donbas region as a peace condition during their "tense" meeting in Washington last Friday.

The official described the discussions with Trump as "not easy" and characterized peace negotiations as being "dragged out" and moving in circles without significant progress.

Despite meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska during August, Trump has been unable to secure a swift resolution to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has now continued for over three and a half years since his return to the White House in January.

Initial optimism for a quick peace settlement has significantly diminished in recent weeks.

While Trump and Putin announced intentions for a second meeting in Budapest, the Kremlin stated Tuesday that no "precise" date had been established, and a US official confirmed they would not meet in the "immediate future."

European leaders have firmly opposed suggestions that Ukraine should surrender territory, instead proposing that combat operations should cease along the current front lines.

Ukraine views the Donbas region—an industrial area encompassing the eastern Lugansk and Donetsk regions—as an integral part of its sovereign territory and has repeatedly dismissed proposals to cede control.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that Russia was not demonstrating genuine interest in achieving peace.

"We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations," their statement emphasized.

When speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump made no explicit mention of Ukraine ceding territory.

"What I say is they should stop right now at the battle lines... They can negotiate something later on down the line," Trump stated.

However, when questioned whether Trump had pressured Zelensky to withdraw from areas still under Ukrainian control—a key demand from Putin—a senior Ukrainian official confirmed to AFP: "Yes, that's true."

Zelensky met with Trump at the White House last week hoping to leverage the US president's growing frustration with Putin's reluctance to accept ceasefire terms.

Instead, Zelensky departed without securing his objectives after Trump—who had spoken with Putin the previous day—denied his request for long-range Tomahawk missiles and pressured him toward making concessions.

Zelensky, who seeks to participate in any Budapest summit after being excluded from Trump's previous meeting with Putin in Alaska, has consistently rejected territorial concessions.

European allies have also expressed strong opposition to such proposals.

Macron stated Tuesday that Ukraine's Western allies were prepared to provide security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, but emphasized that only Kyiv could make decisions regarding territorial matters.

"No one else can do this. Therefore, it is up to Ukraine to decide for itself and its territory," Macron declared while in Slovenia.

Following their recent phone conversation, Putin and Trump announced plans to meet in Budapest to discuss resolving the conflict.

However, Moscow tempered expectations for an imminent meeting on Tuesday, stating there was "no precise timeframe" established.

Speaking anonymously, a Trump administration official also confirmed there were no immediate plans for such a summit.

EU leaders are scheduled to demonstrate unified support for Ukraine at a Brussels summit on Thursday, followed by a "coalition of the willing" meeting of European leaders in London on Friday to discuss further assistance for Kyiv.

Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, characterizing it as a "special military operation" intended to demilitarize Ukraine and prevent NATO expansion.

Russia currently occupies approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory—much of it devastated by conflict—with tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties reported.

A Russian drone attack on Tuesday targeting the town of Novgorod-Siverskyi in Ukraine's northern Chernigiv region resulted in four fatalities, according to the state emergency service.