Backpedaling? Putin hints to Trump at possible territorial concessions in Ukraine - The Washington Post

During a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin demanded that Kyiv give up control over Donetsk entirely, saying that in such a case, the war would come to an end.

At the same time, he hinted that he was ready to relinquish parts of two other Ukrainian regions, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which are partially occupied by Russian forces, in exchange for full control over Donetsk.

Two senior officials familiar with the Trump–Putin conversation told The Washington Post about the details of the call.

"That is slightly less of a sweeping territorial claim than he made in August at a summit between Trump and Putin in Anchorage. Some White House officials portrayed that as progress," according to one of the two senior officials, who was briefed on the Putin call.

Neither the White House nor the Kremlin responded to The Washington Post’s request for comment.

'Concessions' on Ukrainian territories

Following his August 2025 visit to Moscow, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff stated that Russia had allegedly made "concessions" to Ukraine regarding five regions.

"The concessions Russia agreed to were not to occupy the whole of Ukraine," Witkoff said.

However, he did not clarify whether this referred to the same “peace proposal” Putin had previously offered, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas in exchange for a simple ceasefire.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Moscow’s promises to end the occupation if Ukraine ceded the Donetsk and Luhansk regions could not be considered concessions.

Russia has repeatedly demanded the complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelenskyy has consistently emphasized that such a scenario is unacceptable.