Donald Trump, speaking with journalists aboard Air Force One stated that Ukraine and Russia should stop where they are now, noting that he never discussed with Vladimir Zelensky the surrender of Donbas to Russia.
He also mentioned that Donbas should remain divided.
«Let everything be divided as it is. It is divided now. I think 78% of the territory is already occupied by Russia. Leave everything as it is. They can... agree on something later», — Trump said, responding to a Reuters correspondent's question.
According to the publication's sources, Trump made this proposal at a meeting after Zelensky stated that he would not voluntarily cede any territories to Moscow.
However, as Reuters notes, the meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders on Friday indicates that Trump may once again be seeking a quick deal, even if the terms are unpleasant for Kyiv.
«It was pretty bad, — said one of the sources about the meeting.«The message was: „Your country will freeze, and your country will be destroyed“, if Ukraine does not make a deal with Russia».
Trump also refused to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles and suggested the idea of providing security guarantees to both Kyiv and Moscow, which, according to the Ukrainian delegation, was unclear, added two agency sources.
Earlier, The Washington Post and Financial Times reported, citing sources, that Vladimir Putin allegedly proposed to Donald Trump to end the war and give parts of the occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for the unoccupied part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Photo: AFP