President Trump on Sunday intensified his demand for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, proposing that the battle lines be frozen where they currently stand, which would formalize Russia’s control over most of the eastern Donbas region. The remarks, made to reporters on Air Force One, come just days after the President met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Let it be cut the way it is. It’s cut up right now. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now,” Trump said, apparently referencing the Donbas. “But I said cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people.”
The proposal is a stark contrast to Kyiv’s stance. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the idea of ceding any occupied territory to Moscow since the full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. On Sunday, Zelenskyy reiterated his position, stating he had urged European leaders to apply “the right kind of pressure” on Russia and would “grant the aggressor no gifts and forget nothing.”
The Donbas is a culturally and economically vital region, home to heavy industry and mining, and accounted for about 16% of Ukraine’s GDP before the war.
Mr. Trump’s intervention follows a flurry of high-level diplomacy. He met with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, just a day after a two-hour phone call with Putin. The White House has since announced that Mr. Trump will hold a second bilateral summit with Putin in Budapest soon to discuss a possible ceasefire.
The meetings appear to have been contentious. While Trump described his Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy as “very interesting, and cordial” on his Truth Social platform, the Financial Times reported that the meeting descended into a shouting match, with Trump allegedly throwing away battlefield maps presented by the Ukrainian delegation, saying he was “sick” of seeing them. Zelenskyy called the conversation a “pointed conversation.”
Despite the alleged tensions, Zelenskyy offered a measured, somewhat positive assessment of the peace push: “Ukraine shared President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war… his message, in my view, is positive — that we stand where we stand on the line of contact, provided all sides understand what is meant.”
Trump clarified his approach, stating: “I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed… They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide.”
In related news, Ukrainian officials had hoped for a deal during the White House meeting to secure Tomahawk missiles, which they see as vital for long-range strikes against key Russian targets. However, that agreement has not materialized. Trump demurred when asked about the missiles, stating, “We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country,” with Vice President JD Vance confirming on Sunday that a final decision had not yet been made.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues its strategy of striking Russian energy infrastructure, with its military headquarters reporting a strike on the Orenburg Gas plant in southern Russia on Sunday.
The diplomatic push for a ceasefire faces international resistance. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to social media to urge against pressuring Kyiv: “None of us should put pressure on Zelenskyy when it comes to territorial concessions. We should all put pressure on Russia to stop its aggression. Appeasement never was a road to a just and lasting peace.”
READ: Zelenskyy Says Russia Fears Tomahawks As Trump Plans Putin Summit; US Shutdown Drags On
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