Putin told Trump Ukraine must cede Donetsk to end war — Washington Post

Russia’s Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that ending the war requires Ukraine to hand over full control of the Donetsk region, the Washington Post reported, offering to return parts of other occupied areas in exchange and prompting mixed U.S. and Ukrainian reactions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an event marking the 20th anniversary of the Russia Today (RT) TV channel at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, 17 October 2025.

Photo: EPA/VALERIY SHARIFULIN/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN

The newspaper said Putin set Donetsk as a condition in a call on Thursday. In return, Moscow would give up portions of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions it previously seized, according to people familiar with the talks.

Sources described the offer as narrower than demands Moscow floated at an August meeting in Anchorage. Some White House officials saw a limited step forward, while Ukrainian officials rejected that view, the report said.

Donetsk remains a central element of Ukraine’s defenses against further Russian advances westward toward Kyiv, officials noted.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, pressed Ukrainian counterparts on Friday to accept the transfer, arguing many residents of the region are Russian-speaking, according to the report. Trump has not publicly commented on Putin’s proposal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he supports reaching an agreement but called Putin’s inflexibility the chief obstacle, the Post reported.

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Source: PAP, RMF24