Overview

• At the Aug. 15 Alaska summit, President Trump endorsed President Putin’s demand for Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas in exchange for a freeze on fighting elsewhere and a written non-attack guarantee.
• President Zelensky has categorically rejected ceding any additional territory, declaring that Ukraine “will not leave the Donbas” ahead of his Washington meeting with President Trump.
• European governments and security analysts have warned of severe strategic and humanitarian consequences if Ukraine surrenders its remaining Donetsk-held areas, and they have raised concerns about the plan’s unclear terms.
• Russia already controls about 88% of the Donbas, and the Institute for the Study of War says relinquishing Ukrainian-held Donetsk would dismantle its defensive ‘fortress belt’ and push Russian forces roughly 82 kilometers westward.
• Details of the proposal stem mainly from Trump’s recounting and briefed European officials, fueling doubts about the credibility, enforceability and transparency of any agreement.