Trump’s ‘land-swapping’ ideas dead on arrival for Ukraine

After months of failed peace talks and extensive diplomatic efforts seeing minerals and weapons deals reached, the eyes of the world will be on the remote shores of Alaska on Aug. 15, as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, supposedly to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

The announcement of the meeting came after what seemed like significant progress by Kyiv and European leaders in persuading Trump that only direct pressure on Putin could bring about a ceasefire — let alone a broader peace deal.

However, over the weekend of Aug. 9-10, Trump appeared to make an alarming U-turn on his position, calling for a ceasefire while suggesting that territory could be “swapped” between Ukraine and Russia in a final agreement.

Various media outlets reported that Moscow had proposed Ukraine’s handover of the remaining part of its eastern Donetsk Oblast in exchange for a ceasefire.

The offer was reportedly made during U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow on Aug. 8.

The following days were marked by confusion and mixed messages, compounded by fresh evidence of Witkoff’s well-known lack of knowledge of Ukrainian geography.

On Aug. 11, in a press conference laced with a return to anti-Ukrainian talking points and sprinkled with outright falsehoods, Trump removed all doubt by once again stressing that there would indeed be a swapping of territory.

“There’ll be some land-swapping going on,” said Trump, “I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody.”

In the hours after Trump’s initial comments about land swapping, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded quickly and firmly, rejecting any plan that might involve handing over new territory to Russian occupation or recognizing occupied territory as Russian, citing Ukraine’s constitution.

"The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in Ukraine's Constitution. No one will deviate from this — and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, alarmed European leaders, many of whom had worked hard to charm Trump and bring the president around to backing a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, came out with a joint statement backing Ukrainian sovereignty and the necessity of Kyiv’s participation in talks about its future.

Zelensky’s rebuttal drew Trump’s ire, who once again began to blur the lines on which side started the full-scale war.

“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying ‘well, I have to get constitutional approval,’” Trump said at the Aug. 11 press conference, “he’s had approval to go into war and kill everybody but he needs approval to do a land swap.”

Since the semblance of a peace process to end Russia’s war against Ukraine was initiated by Trump upon his inauguration in January, Russia’s minimal demands have included the handover of all remaining Ukrainian-controlled territory in the four regions it illegally claimed and partially annexed in September 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

These demands — which would involve surrendering large Ukrainian cities, including two regional capitals and major urban centers in Donetsk Oblast — were unacceptable for Kyiv from the outset, both de jure and de facto, amounting to capitulation to Russia.

Now, although reports that Russia might only be demanding the remainder of Donetsk Oblast suggest a softening of those demands, such a concession would still be capitulatory and far beyond what Ukraine could call acceptable.

Beyond the legal dimension, handing over new territory to Russian occupation would also violate the core moral reasons Ukraine has defended its independence against Russian aggression so fiercely.

Moscow’s track record in occupied territories has been one of imposing draconian authoritarian rule, accompanied by the systemic torture of civilians, the militarization of local populations, and the deportation of Ukrainian children.

Kateryna Seledtsova, a resident of Kramatorsk, a city in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast, told the Kyiv Independent that everyone in her circle is “panicking because of the news, some are packing their things.”

Seledstova, now owner of a successful cafe and cake shop, already moved once with her family to avoid Russian occupation in 2014, from the city of Shakhtarsk.

“We are constantly deprived of the opportunity to build a future,” she said. “We live one day at a time, all thanks to Russia.”

According to calculations by the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, as of Aug.7, 2025, about 6,500 square kilometers — roughly a quarter — of Donetsk Oblast remains under Ukrainian control. In the south, this includes the coal-mining cities of Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, which have been threatened in recent months by Russian advances.

Further northeast lies a formidable chain of four large urban areas, running from north to south: Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka.

Sometimes known as Ukraine’s “fortress belt,” these cities form the backbone of Ukrainian-held Donetsk Oblast, the taking of which by force could take years and come at immense cost for the Russian military.

For Oleksii Ladyka, a local journalist from Kramatorsk in civilian life now serving with Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade, news about the proposed handover of Donetsk Oblast was met with disinterest and dismissal in his unit.

“We don’t even seriously consider the idea that our fate can be decided without us,” he said.

“Everything depends on us, on our resistance, whether we keep fighting, whether the cohesiveness of the Armed Forces is preserved.”

Artem Fysun, a city council member in Kharkiv Oblast and now member of the Peaky Blinders drone unit, expressed scepticism that Moscow’s offer could be on the table at all.

“I don't believe that Russia will actually do it,” he told the Kyiv Independent.

“Russia is acting like a real criminal, gathering strength to attack with renewed vigor, and now, with the help of various world leaders, they are also spreading fake messages about their intentions.”

Ultimately, as is often mentioned by Ukrainians in the face of deals made without their participation, more important than territories are the people living in them.

“When you talk about Donetsk Oblast like a hot cake that can be passed around,” said Ladyka, “I want them to remember that everyone here has their own family, has their loved ones, has a hope and a wish for a peaceful life and a future for their children, just like anyone anywhere in the world.”

“To discuss the fate of these people as if they are just some insects that can be picked up and handed over, is cynical at best.”

As of Aug. 5, 2025, approximately 252,000 civilians remain in Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donetsk Oblast, including around 18,500 children, according to the regional administration.

While recent Russian advances have seen cities like Dobropillia and Kostiantynivka quickly empty of their residents, the larger urban centers of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk remain lively, with new businesses regularly open amid a thriving military-based economy.

For Ladyka, despite his patriotic position, the thought of the front line coming to his home city gives him pause for thought.

“I really want the war to end, but would I exchange my Kramatorsk for peace?” he said.

”I still don’t know if I have a final answer to that question, but I know that the Russians won’t stop here. If there were to be such an agreement and we just withdrew from Donetsk Oblast, they would just continue onwards.”

Author's note:

This is Francis Farrell, author of this piece. For months, I have been watching the absolute circus charading as "peace talks" while covering the front line, especially in Donetsk Oblast. Now, with talk of this handover, it might seem like those two worlds are colliding. But Ukraine will not capitulate, Ukraine will not hand over territory — but that comes at the cost of the battles continuing. I am heading out soon to cover them, something we can only do with your help. Please consider supporting our reporting.