Trump proposes the cession of Ukrainian territories as a condition for peace

WashingtonUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this morning that Donald Trump will receive him at the White House on Monday, after The meeting between the US president and Vladimir Putin will end without any agreement on the war in Ukraine on Friday.The Ukrainian leader held what he described as a "long and substantive" conversation this Saturday with Trump, with whom he agreed that on Monday they would "discuss all the details regarding ending the killing and the war."

Initially, Trump assured Zelensky that he was willing to provide Kiev with security guarantees that did not, however, include his joining NATO. However, as the hours passed and the details discussed by the two leaders in Alaska became known, the fears that the Europeans and Kiev had had for the meeting were confirmed. Trump explained through his social network, Truth Social, that he had called Zelensky and the European leaders after the meeting in Anchorage, and asserted that both he and Putin agreed that it was better to directly negotiate a peace agreement without the need to implement an initial ceasefire. "We all determined that the best way to end the terrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which could end the war, and not a simple ceasefire, which often doesn't hold," they stated. In fact, the Republican can attest to the latter, since the minimal truce he agreed with Russia to stop attacks on power plants was not respected by Moscow.

With this message, Trump has aligned himself with the Kremlin and believes that a ceasefire is no longer necessary to reach a peace agreement. This, de facto, allows Moscow to continue bombing Ukrainian positions and making advances on the front until Kiev – who is currently facing more military difficulties – accepts its conditions for a peace agreement. Trump's about-face demonstrates the Russian president's ability to use his negotiating skills to bring the president to his side, despite the presence of Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, who were advising the US president.

Washington's new position is a clear victory for Russia, giving it even more room to consolidate its occupation of Ukrainian territories. According to European sources, New York Times, Trump has not only abandoned the ceasefire but has also put on the table the option of Ukraine ceding part of its territory, which Russia has not even conquered, in exchange for peace.

Putin's proposal regarding the territories, leaked to the press, implies that Kiev would cede Moscow control of the entire Donetsk province, which Russian troops have 70% occupied. In exchange, Putin would agree to the freezing of the front lines. According to these same sources, Trump conveyed the proposal to Zelensky during their telephone conversation this morning.

Europe has initially applauded the security guarantees Trump has offered in Ukraine and has offered to collaborate in a three-way meeting with Putin, Zelensky, and Trump. Several European leaders spoke by phone with the US president this morning. In a statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with European Council President António Costa, and the six top leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, and Poland, welcomed the announcement of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky and said they were willing to collaborate in Russian. But hours later, the Kremlin assured that the meeting would not take place.

In his appearance following the Anchorage meeting, Putin already said they had reached an agreement to achieve peace. Without giving further details, he asked European leaders and Kiev not to "obstruct" the path that had been established in Anchorage. Now it is becoming clearer what understanding the Russian leader was talking about.

Zelensky and the European leaders have strongly opposed any such concession of unoccupied lands, which also contain important defensive lines and are rich in minerals. This has always been the red line, but Washington's message has long been preparing the ground for the surrender of territory.

With this perspective, Monday's meeting at the White House with Zelensky has all the ingredients for a repeat of the scene similar to the booing of last February. Anchorage is confirmed as a new ambush for the Ukrainians, and on Monday the Ukrainian president will likely meet with a Trump who wants to impose the territorial dismemberment of Ukraine to Putin's liking.