U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected speculation that there is any agreement or understanding with Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding the full transfer of Donbas to Russian control. He made these remarks to journalists on May 12 before departing for China.
One journalist asked Trump directly: “Is there any understanding between you and Putin that Russia should take the entire Donbas?” The U.S. President gave a short and clear answer: “No.”
A video clip of this exchange was shared on the Clash Report microblog on the X social network. Trump's response comes at a time when speculation surrounding potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine has intensified.
Control over the Donetsk region remains one of the most difficult and complex issues in potential peace agreements between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly stated its readiness for negotiations but has conditioned them on the full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The Kremlin considers these territories part of Russia, citing the results of “referendums” held in 2022. Ukraine and Western nations do not recognize these processes as legitimate. Consequently, the Donbas issue remains the biggest political hurdle in any negotiation.
At the end of April, The New York Times, citing four anonymous sources, reported that Ukrainian representatives had proposed calling the part of Donbas that Russia is still trying to capture militarily “Donniland.” According to the publication, this idea may have been suggested to gain Trump's favor.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's characterization of the territorial dispute as a matter of “a few square kilometers” also sparked discussion. Subsequently, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the main territorial disagreement between Russia and Ukraine concerns the approximately 17–18 percent of the Donetsk region that Moscow does not yet control.
At the end of February, it was reported that peace talks on Ukraine had reached a dead end precisely because of territorial issues. It is noted that Washington's primary focus has since shifted to U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.
In short, Trump's “no” seems to have put an end to rumors of a secret deal on Donbas for now. However, this issue remains at the center of major geopolitical bargaining, difficult negotiations, and intense debates. Every statement regarding Donbas is now perceived not as mere political rhetoric, but as a delicate signal between war and peace.
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