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Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded full control of Ukraine’s Donetsk region as a condition to end the war during his recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing senior American officials.
According to the report, Putin told Trump that Moscow viewed the transfer of full control of Donetsk from Kyiv as a prerequisite for ending the conflict.
The officials said Putin expressed his demand during the latest phone conversation with Trump, though it remains unclear how Trump responded.
In his public remarks about the call, the U.S. president did not refer to Putin’s conditions concerning Donetsk.
American officials described Donetsk as a key buffer zone preventing Moscow from advancing on Kyiv and emphasized that Putin remains determined to seize the region—a stance they said could complicate efforts to end the war.
Trump announced that he would meet Putin in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, within two weeks, but it is not yet known how he will approach the issue during the meeting.
According to The Washington Post, Putin also told Trump he was ready to give up control of parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for complete authority over Donetsk.
Ukrainian officials have previously rejected Moscow’s demands regarding Donetsk, reaffirming that they oppose any concession of Ukrainian territory.
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