Russia signals it may consider swapping some territory in peace talks with Ukraine, but President Putin asserts Donbas is a “red line.”
Donbas is a “red line”
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly shared with a number of top Russian businessmen that he could consider swapping some of the territory Russia controls in Ukraine with Kyiv, but emphasized the prerequisite that the entire Donbas region must belong to Russia.
This content was presented by Putin during a closed-door meeting at the Kremlin on the night of December 24.
Putin reportedly affirmed that Russia remains ready to implement the concessions he previously mentioned at the summit in Anchorage with President Trump in August.
Accordingly, apart from the Donbas area, Russia is still open to the possibility of exchanging some areas with Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement.
This stance aligns with conditions Putin has previously outlined, which require Ukraine to withdraw troops from all of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, and to formally abandon the goal of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to Russian estimates, Moscow currently controls the entire Crimean peninsula, approximately 90% of Donbas, 75% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, along with some small areas in other Ukrainian provinces.
Beyond the territorial issue, Putin also addressed the future of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant—Europe’s largest nuclear facility—which is currently under Moscow’s control.
Accordingly, there is a possibility that Russia and the United States could jointly manage the plant, and even the option of using the plant to partially supply electricity to Ukraine is under consideration.
Ukraine adamant on not ceding territory
While Moscow signals “conditional flexibility,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he expects to meet President Trump in the coming days.
“Many issues could be decided before the New Year,” he shared on Telegram and social media X, expressing hope as Washington strives to increase its mediating role to end the conflict, which is about to enter its fourth year.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the most sensitive issues, particularly any compromise related to territory, can only be discussed at the head-of-state level.
Kyiv is seeking a direct meeting with Trump, as the US and Ukraine have moved closer to finalizing a 20-point peace plan.
It was previously reported that Zelensky could travel to Florida as early as December 28, where Trump is spending the Christmas holidays.
According to the Ukrainian President, recent exchanges with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—President Trump’s son-in-law—have made significant progress.
