Aljazeera Photo: Soldiers from the assault unit of Ukraine’s 25th Brigade receiveing instructions before starting training in the Donetsk region
Source: Aljazeera
DST News: US President Donald Trump has proposed halting the war in Ukraine along its existing front lines, using these as the foundation for future peace negotiations.
Despite Trump’s earlier campaign claims that he could end the war within “24 hours” of taking office, peace efforts have remained stagnant. Russia insists on keeping all territories it has occupied — and even expanding its control — while Ukraine has so far refused to concede any land.
Trump’s Proposal
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said fighting should stop where it currently stands.
“They can negotiate something later,” he explained. “Cut and stop at the battle line.”
He dismissed claims that he advised Ukraine to surrender the Donbas region, saying instead, “Let it be cut the way it is… about 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia.”
Current Front Lines
Russia now occupies large portions of four eastern and southern Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia — as well as a small part of Kharkiv. It fully controls Luhansk and most of Donetsk, including the key areas around Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. In Kherson and Zaporizhia, Moscow holds roughly 75 percent of the territory. Zaporizhia remains a vital industrial hub and home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Ukraine and Europe’s Response
Ukraine and its European allies have publicly supported Trump’s plan. In a joint statement on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders endorsed using the “current line of contact” as a basis for negotiations.
This marks a shift from Ukraine’s previous position of reclaiming all occupied land. Trump himself has alternated between suggesting land concessions and later insisting Ukraine could fully restore its territory — even “go further than that.”
Russia’s Reaction
Moscow has rejected the proposal outright. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia seeks a “long-term, sustainable peace – not an immediate ceasefire that would lead nowhere.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed that Russia’s demands remain unchanged, including full control of the Donbas.
According to Reuters, Moscow also sent a private message to Washington insisting on full control of the region.
A planned Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest was cancelled after Trump said it would have been a “wasted meeting.” “It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get,” he told reporters, though he left open the possibility of future talks.
