The key facts

  • The US proposes changing the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of a territorial deal
  • The Economist reports Russia's 'unusual willingness' to make concessions, but Washington suspects the talks are being dragged out
  • On November 9, Trump said that after the war Ukraine 'will look somewhat different'

The idea of adjusting borders

In recent weeks, American negotiators have been promoting, as part of a territorial deal between Russia and Ukraine, the idea of changing the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Economist reports this, citing sources, as retold by Kun.uz. According to the outlet's sources, the aim of such an option is to allow Russia to declare full control over these territories, without forcing Ukraine to formally renounce its lands.

Moscow's willingness and Washington's suspicions

Sources for The Economist also report that in the talks, Russia has demonstrated an unusual willingness to make concessions. However, as the outlet notes, this flexibility emerged after a proposal was put forward to discuss European security — and now the US fears that Moscow is using these talks merely as a pretext to drag out the fighting.

The parties' positions

On November 9, US President Donald Trump said that after the war ends, Ukraine 'will look somewhat different.' Russia, for its part, demands international recognition of its control over annexed Crimea as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions — including territories it does not fully control. A source close to Volodymyr Zelensky's administration called such a demand absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine: 'We have a unified position: Ukraine does not give up its territories,' The Economist quotes him as saying.

What is known and what remains unclear

The publication is based on The Economist's account, which relies on unnamed sources; the outlet's article itself is available via the link, but its full text is presented in this roundup through Kun.uz's retelling. The specific parameters of the proposed border change — what demarcation line is meant and on what terms — are not disclosed in the report. There is also no official confirmation of this initiative from US authorities in the sources.