Trump Suggests Ukraine May Have to Be 'Cut Up' to End Russia's War
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — In a statement that could reshape the conversation around the nearly four-year-long conflict, President Donald Trump has suggested a controversial path to peace in Ukraine: dividing the country's Donbas region, with the majority of the territory falling under Russian control.
"Let it be cut the way it is," the president told reporters while traveling aboard Air Force One, proposing a solution that would essentially ratify Russia's current hold on a significant portion of eastern Ukraine. The remarks, made on Sunday, represent a stark departure from the official position of many Western allies who have consistently maintained Ukraine's territorial integrity must be respected.
The Donbas region, a historically industrial and culturally significant area, has been at the heart of the conflict since the war's inception. The suggestion to partition it raises immediate questions about the future of millions of Ukrainians living in the area and the potential for further instability in the region.
The proposal comes as the war has entered a grueling phase, with both sides facing immense challenges and the international community struggling to find a viable path to negotiations. While the idea of territorial concessions has been floated in some diplomatic circles, the president's direct and unambiguous statement brings the concept into the mainstream political discourse.
For Ukrainians, the suggestion is not just a geopolitical maneuver but a potential threat to their national identity and sovereignty. The Donbas, with its major cities like Donetsk and Luhansk, is more than just land; it's home to communities with deep-rooted ties to the rest of Ukraine.
As the world processes these comments, the focus now shifts to how this proposed solution might be received in Kyiv, in European capitals, and at the United Nations. The path to ending a war that has had such a profound human cost is complex, and the president's words have added a new, and highly contentious, variable to the equation.
The original reporting by the Associated Press provides further details on this developing story. You can read the full article here.