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In call with Trump, Putin demands full control of Donetsk Oblast that he has failed to conquer for 11 years, WP says

The Russian president allegedly suggested swapping partial claims in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson for full control of Donetsk, WP sources stated.
byYuri Zoria
19/10/2025
4 minute read
call trump putin demands full control donetsk oblast has failed conquer 11 years wp says · post president donald welcomes russian vladimir joint base elmendorf-richardson anchorage alaska 15 2025 (dod
President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, 15 August 2025 (DoD photo by Benjamin Applebaum)
In call with Trump, Putin demands full control of Donetsk Oblast that he has failed to conquer for 11 years, WP says

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender Donetsk oblast during a recent phone call with US President Donald Trump, Washington Post reported on 18 October. Citing two senior officials familiar with the conversation, the outlet said Putin also suggested giving up parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts in exchange for full control of Donetsk Oblast. Russia’s initial invasion began in 2014, when it fully occupied Crimea and seized parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. Over the three and a half years of full-scale invasion, Russia has failed to capture either of the two eastern regions completely.

The claims described by the WP sources appear questionable. Russia would never deoccupy areas of Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts unless forced to do so militarily: these regions serve as a land bridge, connecting Russia to occupied Crimea. The sources may have misunderstood Putin’s comments — or even a joke — possibly implying that Moscow would not demand Ukraine surrender the portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson it still controls, but would insist only on the full surrender of Donetsk Oblast in exchange for Russia's empty promises of a ceasefire. That oblast contains Ukraine’s strongest defense lines, which Russian forces have repeatedly failed to break through during the full-scale invasion.
The Washington Post noted that the front lines have remained largely static for the past year, with neither side gaining ground. Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory following its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Putin’s territorial demand according to WP sources

WP says that the cited officials stated that Putin allegedly told Trump that Russia "would be willing to surrender parts of two other regions of Ukraine he has partly conquered, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in exchange for full control of Donetsk." One senior US official briefed on the call described the offer as “slightly less sweeping” than Putin’s earlier demands during the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage in August. Another senior European diplomat dismissed the proposal entirely, calling it “like selling them their own leg in exchange for nothing.”

Trump avoids endorsing Putin’s demand

Trump has not publicly supported Putin’s terms. After meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on 17 October, he urged both sides to halt the fighting and make a deal.

According to Washington Post, the meeting with Zelenskyy left Ukrainian officials disappointed. They had hoped to secure long-range Tomahawk missiles but left Washington without any agreement on weapons deliveries after Putin's call to Trump.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading preparations for a new Trump-Putin summit in Budapest in the coming weeks. Kyiv has welcomed the meeting, hoping it could reinforce Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire along the current front lines.

US envoy again repeats Kremlin's false narrative 

During the White House talks, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff pressed the Ukrainian delegation to consider handing over Donetsk, using the argument that the oblast is mostly Russian-speaking — a frequent Kremlin talking point.

This is a long-standing Russian propaganda line as absurd as claiming that the United States or Ireland, being English-speaking, should belong to Britain.

Witkoff had also served as the main White House intermediary with Moscow before the August Anchorage summit, which European diplomats said resulted in a misunderstanding of Russia’s demands and no tangible progress.

Trump had earlier considered sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but appeared to step back after his call with Putin. Speaking beside Zelenskyy at the White House, he said he hoped to end the war without needing to send the missiles. Asked whether Putin was merely buying time, Trump replied that he was not worried, saying, “I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well… But I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivering his evening address on 26 September, 2025
Read the follow-up:

Zelenskyy rejects Putin’s alleged “Donetsk‑for‑peace” offer reported by Washington Post

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