Trump backs Ukrainian land concession

Putin offers a ceasefire in exchange for Donetsk and Luhansk withdrawal as Trump signals support for a peace plan.

Trump backs Ukrainian land concession in peace plan with Putin

At the Alaska summit, Putin pressed Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for ending the war. He also proposed a ceasefire along the rest of the front and a written commitment not to attack again. Ukraine and its Western allies have said borders should not be altered by force and that territory must be defended.
According to the New York Times, after the talks Trump told European leaders he supported a plan to end the war by ceding some Ukrainian land to Russia, with Zelenskyy later to be informed during a White House visit. European officials invited to join the discussions emphasized that no binding agreement had been reached and that Kyiv remains firm on territorial integrity. Putin welcomed the talks as useful and timely while suggesting Moscow would continue to press minority gains on the battlefield in the meantime.

The idea of land concessions tests the core of Western support for Ukraine and raises questions about sovereignty and deterrence. If such moves gain traction, they could strain ties with Kyiv and some European partners, and could provoke domestic backlash. Yet the episode also shows how diplomacy persists even when battles on the ground are ongoing, and how personal diplomacy between Trump and Putin can reshape expectations without delivering immediate results.
The Alaska meeting highlights the fragility of coalition consensus in a high stakes conflict. Public statements by leaders matter as much as any map change, and political calculations at home will influence how far allies are willing to go in any peace process. The bigger question is whether a settlement based on territory transfers can produce lasting security or simply pause the fighting for a time.

Highlights

Diplomacy moves forward even as the words on the table carry heavy consequence