Russia would keep control of Donbas region in exchange for rental fee under US plan
Ukrainian servicemen attend military training near Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region, earlier this month Credit: 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence/Handout/EPA/Shutterstock
Connor Stringer Washington Correspondent.
Kieran Kelly19 November 2025 8:30pm GMT
Ukraine could be forced to lease part of its territory to Russia under a US plan to end the war.
The Trump administration deal would see Kyiv cede control of the eastern Donbas region, but maintain legal ownership. Russia would pay an undisclosed rental fee for de facto control of the region, officials familiar with the deal told The Telegraph.
The 28-point plan was thrashed out between the US and Russia in a recent flurry of secretive talks, renewing fears that Ukraine is being frozen out of discussions about its future.
As well as forcing Ukraine to surrender territory, the deal would slash the size of Kyiv’s military in half and ban it from possessing long-range missiles.
It would also block deployments of foreign troops in Ukraine, end US military assistance and prevent foreign diplomatic aircraft from landing in the country. Russian would be made an official state language, and the Russian Orthodox Church would be given official status in the occupied territories.
Ukraine would be permitted to negotiate security guarantees from the US and European governments to help maintain any ceasefire.
Officials in the Ukrainian capital dismissed the plan, and Russia denied knowledge of it. Donald Trump did not comment on the deal, but revealed on Wednesday that he had recently told Vladimir Putin: “Let me settle your freaking war”.
However, sources said the White House had told Volodymyr Zelensky he must agree to the terms, sensing weakness because of a corruption scandal engulfing the Ukrainian president.
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out surrendering the entire Donbas to Russia as the price for peace. Ceding territory has been a long-held demand of Putin since he met Mr Trump in Alaska in August for peace talks.
After pressure from Kyiv and other Western capitals, the US president had rejected the move, arguing any ceasefire should be negotiated based on the current front lines.
The Trump plan for a land lease scheme by Ukraine fits a pattern of business deals used to prop up peace agreements.
The Donbas is rich in minerals. In exchange for the territory, Moscow could be expected to pay a ground fee to compensate for the financial losses incurred by Ukraine’s losing access to its lands.
Ukraine is obliged under its constitution to put ceding of territory to a public vote that would be likely to fail – something a lease deal would avoid.
Shortly after the deal emerged, Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, announced his resignation. A close associate said he believed fellow Trump administration officials were being strung along by Russia.
It was drawn up during three days of talks between Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s peace envoy, and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy, in Miami last month, reports suggest.
Mr Dmitriev told Axios he was optimistic about the deal because “we feel the Russian position is really being heard”.
He said the US would explain the “benefits” of the peace agreement to Ukraine and its European allies, adding that negotiations were taking place at a time when Moscow was making progress on the ground.
“It’s happening with the background of Russia definitely having additional successes on the battlefield,” he said, suggesting that Moscow’s leverage was growing.
The strategy was shared with Kyiv this week, with Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, flown to Miami for talks.
The talks came days after a summit between Mr Trump and Putin in Hungary was cancelled and the US appeared to be taking a hard line on Russia by imposing oil sanctions.
European sources told The Telegraph that they had largely been kept in the dark about the details of the deal. Mr Witkoff is often criticised privately by European officials, who believe he is too easily swayed by Russian arguments.
Mr Trump has been frustrated by the Ukraine war, having promised to end the conflict on day one of his presidency.
Mr Witkoff had been expected to speak to Mr Zelensky in Turkey on Wednesday, but the meeting was postponed. The Ukrainian president is reported to have been displeased by the proposal after it was briefed to his officials.
A US official told Axios that the meeting had been postponed because Mr Zelensky intended to bring an alternative plan, drafted with European partners, which the US felt would be unacceptable to Russia and would reverse course on the understandings reached with Mr Umerov.
Qatar and Turkey are understood to be involved in drafting the new peace plan and are supporting US mediation efforts.
On Wednesday, Dan Driscoll, the US army secretary, and a top-level Pentagon delegation arrived in Kyiv “on a fact-finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war,” spokesman Col Dave Butler said.
Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s defence minister, said the talks had focused on sharing drone technologies and air defence support being offered by Washington.
Overnight, Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least nine people across the country, Mr Zelensky said. Some 470 drones and 48 missiles were launched by Russia across Ukraine, including in Kharkiv, Lviv, and Ternopil.
The Ukrainian president said: “Every brazen attack against ordinary life proves that the pressure on Russia is still insufficient. Effective sanctions and assistance for Ukraine can change this.”
Poland and Romania, which border Ukraine, both scrambled fighter jets early on Wednesday in response to the attacks.
On the front line, intense battles have continued in the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, a critical Ukrainian logistics hub and one of the main contested territories over the last year of the conflict.
Pokrovsk, which has seen up to 500 troops enter the city, is expected to fall to Russia in what would be Moscow’s most significant military triumph since the taking of Bakhmut in 2023.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, John Healey, the UK Defence Secretary, said a Russian spy ship had tried to blind British military pilots with lasers. He said the Yantar vessel fired the beams of light at pilots flying an RAF P-8 Poseidon submarine hunter sent to monitor it.
The Yantar, thought to be part of the Kremlin’s “shadow fleet”, was followed by HMS Somerset, a Royal Navy frigate, off the coast of Scotland, he said. The Ministry of Defence said the ship was tracked between Nov 5 and 11.
This is a pile of shit from the sewers of the kremlin that has been fully consumed and then regurgitated by tovarisch Witless Witkoff.
It has attracted a record number of comments. I will post some of them shortly.
Comment from :
JR Hartley
Trump really is a carpet bagger. Its a joke. He doesn’t take Europe or his allies seriously one bit.
A maga :
Richard Cole
UK/EU have 3 1/2 TIMES the pop’n, 10 TIMES the defense spending and 13 TIMES Russia’s GDP. You people could have ended this war in a week if you had any balls but you don’t, so you didn’t. So now, by way of an alternative, you sit around demanding that Americans fix your latest European war then start complaining and whining about the way we do it. If you guys can do it better go ahead. We’d love it if you guys resolved your own problems instead of waiting for us to do it for you. Problem is we have to do it because after all these centuries of starting wars you people have never learned how to end them.
We (Pres Clinton) had to end your 10 YEAR (1991-2001) Yugoslav civil war for you – 200,000 dead, Europeans’ latest act of genocide, 2 Mn homeless. Clinton got sick of seeing never ending European blood shed and had the US Air Force intervene. We ended your European war for you in 90 DAYS. Today in Kosovo’s capital there’s a statue of Clinton looking down “President Clinton Boulevard”. No statues of Europeans.
And now, because you Euros are incapable of doing it yourselves you’re looking to us to end yet another trivial European war that means nothing to us. When you Euros come up with your own BETTER plan to end this war and implement it we might start to take you seriously. Until then PIPE DOWN.
Minotaur Bull
Someone explain to Trump and Putin the details of the Ukraine, Security Assurances as part of The Budapest Memorandum 1994, in return for them giving up nuclear weapons.
“Commitments by the Guarantors (US, UK, and Russia): The signatories pledged to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and borders, and to refrain from the threat or use of force or economic coercion. They also committed to seeking immediate UN Security Council action if Ukraine was attacked with nuclear weapons”.
Trevor Smallwood
Not a peace plan so there will be no peace.
Russia hasn’t honoured any deal in decades. Although I suspect Vlad would honour a Trump Tower deal in Moscow.
Chris Brooks
No, this is not a business deal, Mr Trump.
I can’t see Ukraine going for this cash for land business to be honest.
Russia is the invading country and should be treated accordingly.
If Ukraine wishes to drive out Russia I hope Britain would support them.
Ron Thompson
“..forcing Ukraine to surrender territory, the deal would slash the size of Kyiv’s military in half and ban it from possessing long-range missiles.
It would also block deployments of foreign troops in Ukraine, end US military assistance”
In other words, leave it like a sitting duck, ripe for Putin’s plucking whenever he’s ready.
This isn’t a peace plan. It’s handing all of Ukraine to Putin on a plate.
Scott Driver
Apparently, it was Witless (Witkoff) who crafted the core of this “deal’.
What an imbecile, has no clue whatsoever. Zelensky needs to press the IGNORE button on this idiocy crafted without input from the Ukrainians.
Trevor Smallwood
Reply to Scott Driver
I fear Witkoff has been dazzled by whatever bright baubles the Russians waved under his nose.
Yes, he is stupid. Showing up without an interpreter will take some beating, but his mistake was getting outed in public.
For my money he is totally corrupt.
Oldman Fred
This is a deal like any mass murderer would want if Europe doesn’t stand up to Putin and start to get off its knees and supply the weapons that are needed to stop Putin he will be coming for all of Europe. Putin only respects leaders and countries who stand up to him. Whether we like or not Trump is no friend of Europe and would not come to its defence. Ukraine is fighting for its survival and Europe survival as well.
Erik Evans
Always so eager to bend over and give away territory, mineral resources and prime agricultural land that does not belong to him.
Unique among all the Western leaders, in fact.
A less charitable sort could conclude after years of fawning over dictators, and Putin in particular, that there is a fire behind all this smoke.
Apollos Gift
This deal is no better than the one dismissed by Zelensky, Biden, Nuland and Johnson back in 2022. In the near 4 years since the loss of lives, the lost limbs, the utter destruction have all been biblical in scale. There was never going to be a Ukrainian victory. The western arm sellers and their bought politicians can now count their money as Ukraine is left in tatters.
Erik Evans
Reply to Apollos Gift
Shift is over, Yuri. Hit the pub and relax.
madhav kudva
Another stupid and moronic peace deal by Trump, which smacks of surrender. Why not have Trump lease Alaska to Russia for a fee, as it was Russian territory a century ago?
david bcn
So, Trump is handing Putin a victory! Ukraine must reduce the size of her military. I pity the Ukrainians. They have suffered so much. The US Government has benefitted through arms sales. IF there is an agreement, and the war/killing stops, it will be another feather in Trump’s cap. At the expense of Ukraine. Putin appears to be stronger than Trump. And if anyone thinks Putin/Russia will pay for the land, lease it, well, the moon is made of green cheese. Also, a lease is indicative that the leassor- Russia- is leasing (renting) the land from the owner – Ukraine.
Andrew Gross
Time for Europe to step up and raise taxes to help Ukraine so that $200 billion a year in weapons and aid can be sent ad infinitum.
That is less than €500 per man, woman and child in Europe per year. A small price to pay.
And If only 10 percent of the populace are truly Ukraine hawks then they could should the burden for only €5000 per head (€20k per year for a family of four).
Time to put money where mouths are! All in favour…..
GRAHAM REEVE
Reply to Andrew Gross
Your numbers are suspect and your agenda transparent. Try again when you are sober.
GRAHAM REEVE
I’m reminded of when Senator Jeff Merkley directly asked a Trump nominee if Trump was, knowingly or not, a Russian asset back in March. His point was, if Trump were indeed a Russian asset, what would that look like? It would look like what we see. He essentially made the case that Trump couldn’t reasonably get away with being any more favourable to Putin as an American President than he already is being: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9tiGDuwCc
Gentleman Jim
The only reason Russia can possibly want the Size of Ukraine’s military to be slashed is to weaken it for Russia’s next invasion. How can Trump think any Ukrainian president could ever accept that???
Spot on by Jimmy.
This deal is not even worth the few minutes it takes to read through it. Taco has never been, is not, and never will be a great dealmaker. He is a despicable conman, like he’s always been.
Richard Cole has good points. I am also sick and tired of Europe’s downright childish behavior. It’s time to grow up and do what’s right, and this on your own, because you are practically on your own. You’ve been sucking on American titts for too long already.
With an economy that absolutely dwarf’s the mafia one, and a much larger population, Europe has the overall power to destroy the mafia state. But, as usual, it lacks the willpower. It also lacks the courage. This war is in EUROPE, for almost four years now, and yet there’s still not a SINGLE European soldier in Ukraine. There is no NFZ anywhere. They even refuse to shoot down drones coming near or into NATO territory. They don’t stop the shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea or from passing Danish waters, helping the mafia economy and profusely endangering the environment. Western components are found in every roach missile and glide bomb to this very day. Mafia fossil fuels and fertilizer and other items are still being bought. And you have masses of pro-mafia parties and voters.
Europe is not a strong, united, and courageous continent. It is a cracked egg, waiting for the fox to break it open and eat it. I wish things were different, but we happen to have an encephalic sad sack in the White House, so things are what they are. Grow up, Europe, it’s high time.