Ukraine Responds to Putin's Reported Demands to Trump

A senior Ukrainian official has made it clear that giving up territory in the country’s east for the sake of a peace deal would be “totally unacceptable.” His statement comes just as Ukrainian leaders prepare to meet with President Donald Trump and key European leaders in Washington on Monday.

According to a Reuters report, Moscow has floated a proposal under which Ukraine would withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for Russia “freezing” the front lines in the south, specifically in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. For Ukraine, however, this is not even up for discussion. Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, described the idea as nothing more than a Kremlin provocation.

The Kremlin has long insisted that Donetsk and Luhansk are part of Russia, citing referendums held in 2022 that the international community condemned as fraudulent. Yet Moscow still does not control all of these territories. Ukraine, on the other hand, argues that surrendering land would not only violate its constitution but also undermine its security.

The Donbas region, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk, is especially significant. It is Ukraine’s industrial hub and a crucial part of its defensive line. Analysts say that despite nearly three years of all-out war, Russia has only partially seized Donetsk, with Ukraine still holding around 6,500 square kilometers of the region. These remaining areas include heavily fortified cities that Ukraine sees as critical to its survival.

President Trump has shown growing frustration with Vladimir Putin in recent months. After his Alaska summit with the Russian leader, Trump called the talks “useful” but later suggested moving directly toward a permanent peace deal instead of a temporary ceasefire. Reports from The New York Times suggest he even told European leaders he favored a plan where Ukraine would give up land it still controls something Kyiv says it cannot accept.

European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will join Zelensky in Washington as these discussions unfold. Whether any real progress can be made remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the distance between Russia’s demands and Ukraine’s position has not narrowed.