Putin demanded full control of Donetsk region in exchange for Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in conversation with Trump — WP
- News of Ukraine
-
•
-
- Yuliia Boichenko
-
•
-
12:35, 19 October, 2025
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, photo: GettyImagesDuring a phone call this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that US President Donald Trump demand that Ukraine hand over full control of the Donetsk region to Russia as a condition for ending the war.
Two officials familiar with the details of the call told The Washington Post.
According to the sources, Vladimir Putin, who has been trying to take full control of the region for the past 11 years, insisted that Donetsk be included in the talks as a key issue.
In addition, according to the sources, he proposed a swap: some areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, partially controlled by Russia, could be given to Ukraine in exchange for the full transfer of Donetsk region.
The press services of the White House and the Kremlin have not yet provided an official comment on this statement.
As a reminder, Donald Trump said that he intends to end Russia's war against Ukraine as soon as possible and is convinced that «is already quite close to this». He also assured that he would not allow the war in Ukraine to escalate to the level of a global conflict.