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Putin demands mineral-rich Donbas from Ukraine as part of Trump-backed ceasefire deal

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US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Picture: Getty

By Alice Padgett and Chay Quinn

Donald Trump is set to support Vladimir Putin's demands that Ukraine must surrender the Donbas to Russia to secure a ceasefire.

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Several news outlets have cited sources which claimed that during the negotiations Mr Putin demanded full control of Donetsk and Luhansk - two occupied Ukrainian regions - as a condition for ending the war.

In return for the mineral-rich territories, the Kremlin said the front line would be frozen and no further territory would be taken.

A source close to the matter told AFP Putin "de facto demands that Ukraine leave Donbas" and "Trump is included to support it".

A Republican source close to Mr Trump told The Telegraph: "The president wants to stop the killing and end the war.

"That's the bottom line.

"Negotiations over territory are part of that process. The ball is in Zelensky's court."

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Picture: Getty

The US President reportedly heard these demands during their meeting in Alaska on Friday.

Mr Trump will speak to Mr Zelensky about it on Monday when they meet in the Oval Office, reports claim.

Sir Keir Starmer will speak to the so-called "coalition of the willing" tomorrow ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky's White House meeting with Donald Trump on Monday.

The Prime Minister, France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz will host the meeting on Sunday afternoon.

The coalition, made up of 30-plus nations, is prepared to deter Russian aggression by putting troops on the ground in Ukraine once the war is over.

Read More: Starmer 'commends' Trump peace efforts as European leaders say next step must be 'trilateral summit' with Zelenskyy

The meeting, which is expected to take place at approximately 2pm UK time, comes on the heels of US President Mr Trump's summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The Prime Minister (right centre), France's Emmanuel Macron (left centre) and Germany's Friedrich Merz (right) will host the meeting on Sunday afternoon.
The Prime Minister (right centre), France's Emmanuel Macron (left centre) and Germany's Friedrich Merz (right) will host the meeting on Sunday afternoon. Picture: Alamy

Mr Trump hoped to secure a peace deal from the talks at a military base in Anchorage, but both he and Mr Putin walked away without agreement on how to end the war in Ukraine.

The US leader, however, insisted "some great progress" was made, with "many points" agreed and "very few" remaining.

Read More: Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington on Monday following 'no deal' Alaska peace summit

Read More: To stop Putin’s horrors, we must first drain his war chest

President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)
It comes as Mr Trump confirmed that Zelenskyy would meet him at the White House on Monday, in what many hope will not be a re-run of the pair's last Oval Office visit. Picture: Alamy

After the Alaska summit, the US president told Fox News it was now up to Mr Zelensky to "make a deal" to end the war.

Sir Keir commended Mr Trump's "pursuit of an end to the killing" following a phone call with the US president, Mr Zelensky and Nato allies on Saturday morning.

But he insisted Ukraine's leader must not be excluded from future talks to broker a peace in Ukraine.

It comes as Mr Trump confirmed that Zelenskyy would meet him at the White House on Monday, in what many hope will not be a re-run of the pair's last Oval Office visit.

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Download the new LBC app. Picture: LBC

Following the summit in Alaska, Mr Zelenskyy said that he and the US president had spoken over the phone following the summit - discussions that lasted more than an hour-and-a-half.

The meeting comes hours after Mr Trump and Mr Putin met in Alaska to discuss a possible ceasefire deal in Ukraine, with the US President branding the made-for-tv discussions "very productive".

Days of anticipation leading up to the summit, which saw Trump fail to secure his desired ceasefire deal, ultimately produced an anti-climactic end to proceedings, with both parties walking away empty handed.

For many, word of Mr Zelenskyy's forthcoming meeting with Mr Trump on US soil will conjure images of the pair's last White House showdown, described by many at the time as an "ambush".