Although in recent weeks there were signs that he was becoming impatient with Russian President Putin, now Trump has changed his course again - at the expense of Ukraine. The American president insists on dividing Donbass.
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his demand for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. In order to end the fighting, the front line must be frozen, which includes the subsequent division of Donbass, he believes. "Let everything remain as it is now. I think 78 percent of the region is already taken over by Russia. "Everything else is very difficult to negotiate," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, urging both sides to "cease hostilities, stop killing people and go home."
"If he wants to, Putin will destroy you"
This statement by Trump represents another change in his position on the war in Ukraine. In recent weeks, the American president has shown increasing impatience with Putin and has shown himself open to more significant support for Ukraine. At the end of September, he even assured that Ukraine could regain all the territories occupied by Russia. This is about 20 percent of the territory of Ukraine, the German public media ARD recalls in this regard.
Now, however, Trump is talking about partially handing over Donbas to the Russians. According to Reuters' internal sources, his phone call with Putin last Thursday played an important role in this changed position. In it, the Russian president proposed that Ukraine cede Donetsk and Lugansk, the "Washington Post" also reported.
This is exactly what US representatives proposed on Friday at the meeting with Zelensky at the White House. At that time, Trump refused Zelensky the "Tomahawk" cruise missiles, which he himself had previously created expectations for. In return, he warned Zelensky that if Putin decided, he would destroy him. Zelensky had to accept the deal or accept defeat. "If Putin wants to, he will destroy you," Trump literally said, writes the German "Tagesspiegel", citing the "Financial Times", which refers to an unnamed European official. Trump also used Russian language about the war in Ukraine, calling the Russian invasion a "special operation," the publication added.
"The Financial Times" has also learned that at the White House meeting, Trump not only verbally attacked Zelensky, but also literally waved maps on the battlefield, saying that he could no longer look at such maps.
The significance of Donbas
Before 2014, the industrial region of Donbas had about 6.5 million inhabitants and was the heart of Ukrainian heavy industry. But even then, many of the mines and factories were already obsolete.
A withdrawal from Donetsk and Lugansk, as is currently being discussed, would mean that Russia would receive territories without a fight that it never managed to conquer by military means. In addition, Kiev would lose its well-fortified defensive belt in the part of Donbas still under Ukrainian control.
After a conversation with Trump at the White House, which Kiev described as a great disappointment, Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies not to pursue a policy of appeasement towards Russia. "Ukraine will never reward terrorists for their crimes, and we count on our partners to support this position," Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Sunday.
According to the Ukrainian president, it is now time for a new meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing - a format that mainly includes European supporters of Ukraine. Zelensky justified his request by the need for "decisive steps" towards Russia.