Ukraine Hands Over Territories to Russia: Is Donbas a Ticket to Peace or the Beginning of a New War?

In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Witkoff said that territorial swaps will be a key point of today’s talks, when Zelensky and European leaders join Trump for their first in-person meeting since Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

Witkoff, who accompanied Trump at the Alaska meeting, stated that “strong security guarantees” were reached during the historic conversation. However, he emphasized that the U.S. is acting as a mediator for Ukraine and cannot advance issues such as territorial exchanges without first consulting Kyiv, The Hill reported.

“The fundamental issue, some exchange of territories, which is ultimately in the hands of the Ukrainians, could not be the subject of this [Alaska] meeting. We intend to discuss it. We hope to gain some clarity, and that will hopefully lead to a peace agreement very, very quickly,” Witkoff said.

He avoided directly confirming reports that Putin had agreed to end the war in exchange for Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas region to Russia, including areas not currently under Russian control.

Witkoff noted that the negotiations involve issues in “all five major regions,” though he did not specify them, adding that there was “no time now to go through all of them.” He stressed that the U.S. views those regions as “the heart of the deal.”

“At the negotiating table, the Russians made certain concessions regarding all five regions. An important discussion must be held regarding Donetsk and what would happen there. That discussion will take place when President Zelensky arrives with his delegation and European leaders. We hope to clarify matters and make some decisions immediately on the spot,” Witkoff concluded.