During his call with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded that Ukraine cede full control of the Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, offering in return to withdraw from occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, according to The Washington Post.

Sources say White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff raised the proposal with the Ukrainian delegation, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, during Friday’s meeting in Washington — emphasizing that Donetsk is largely Russian-speaking, a point often used by the Kremlin and viewed by Ukrainian and European officials as echoing Moscow’s narrative.