US President Donald Trump said he expects any peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia to involve Moscow retaining parts of Ukrainian territory seized since 2022 - a reversal from his previous statements that Kyiv should fight until all occupied land is liberated.
Trump's remarks represent the latest shift in a peace negotiation process that has oscillated between competing visions since his inauguration, with Kyiv rejecting proposals that would formalize Russian control and security experts warning that territorial concessions without genuine guarantees risk repeating the failures of previous agreements that preceded Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.
Speaking on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was “open to ending this war,” but added that territorial concessions would be part of any deal.
“Well, he’s gonna take something. I mean, they fought and he has a lot of property. I mean, you know… he’s won certain property,” Trump said.
The remarks came days after Trump’s two-hour phone call with Putin and a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the two leaders appeared to mend tensions that surfaced earlier this year.
Trump’s latest comments mark a shift from his tone in September, when he publicly encouraged Ukraine to keep fighting to reclaim all its occupied land and floated the idea of supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv.
It appears that, following warnings from Moscow, he may be retreating from that position.
Trump has also agreed to meet Putin in Budapest on an undisclosed date, following their phone conversation last week.
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out any peace plan that would formalize Russian control over occupied regions, including Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk Oblasts, parts of which have been occupied since 2014.
