Vladimir Putin seeks full control of Donetsk Oblast as key to any deal with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine must hand over full control of Donetsk Oblast to Russia as a condition for ending the war during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump this week, as official reports asserted citing two senior U.S. officials. According to the report, Putin has indicated his willingness to give up parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, both partially occupied by Russian forces, in exchange for complete control over Donetsk.

Some White House officials described the proposal as “progressive”, while a senior European diplomat cautioned that Ukraine would likely view the proposal in a very different light. “It’s like selling them their own leg in exchange for nothing”, the diplomat said.

Trump has not publicly addressed the Kremlin’s demand but, following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, urged both sides to “stop the killing and make a deal”. This development marks a shift from Putin’s earlier position in April, when he rejected a U.S. proposal to freeze hostilities along current front lines and instead insisted that any peace deal must grant Russia full control over Crimea plus the full four regions that are partially occupied now: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

Putin and Trump are expected to continue discussions at a planned summit in Hungary, which is set to take place in the coming weeks.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on October 17th that he had spoken with Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, adding that preparations for the U.S.— Russia summit are ongoing.

Russian President’s proposal was immediately turned down by his arch rival, Volodymyr Zelensky who lambasted saying, “Ukraine would not give any unoccupied lands to ‘terrorist’ Putin”. Ukraine does not plan to surrender any unoccupied territories to Russia as part of peace agreement to end the full-scale war, while understanding that the war needs to be finished.

Zelensky has further reiterated that any peace negotiations must take place during a ceasefire, and not under missiles, not under drones.

Russia has dramatically intensified large-scale aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities in 2025. The uptick in mass strikes coincides with Trump’s return to office, but Zelensky attributed the increase to Russia’s expanded production capabilities and assistance from allies such as North Korea, China, and Iran, rather than changes in the White House. The escalating aerial campaigns are also a response to Russia’s battlefield losses, Zelensky said.

“On the battlefield (Putin’s) not winning, that’s why he really escalates air strikes“, Zelensky said, adding that the Kremlin hopes to cause an “energy disaster” in Ukraine by targeting critical infrastructure ahead of winter.

Russia’s reliance on combined missile and drone strikes highlights Ukraine’s need for long-range weapons and stronger air defences, Zelensky said. While Russia attacks Ukraine with long-range missiles, including some provided by North Korea, Ukraine relies on its domestically produced drones to hit Russian military targets.

Earlier Volodymyr Zelensky was optimistic about United States would provide Tomahawk missiles which would have helped Ukraine in drawing the levels, but Donald Trump did not agree to supply Tomahawks for Kyiv during the October 17th meeting, which later Zelensky has attributed as a “disappointment”.

Meanwhile Donald Trump plans to hold a bilateral summit with Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks. Zelensky has not been invited to participate in the talks.

Team Maverick