Trump says Ukraine will ‘soon’ lose Donbas as US pushes peace plan

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was confident Ukraine would lose control of the Donbas region “in a short time”, claiming Kyiv would be forced to surrender territories even beyond those already occupied by Russia.

“They will lose [the territory] soon, yes,” Trump told Fox News, asserting that Ukraine continues to lose land as the war drags on.

He added Ukraine may ultimately have to concede areas it managed to defend throughout the full-scale invasion.

The new US peace proposal aimed at ending the war reportedly grants Russia full de facto control over the Donbas region, even though Ukraine still holds roughly 12 percent of the territory. The White House believes Kyiv will lose this territory anyway if the conflict continues.

The plan was developed by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and has the support of Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev. The 28-point document contains language that Western media suggest appears to have been originally written in Russian, raising questions about Moscow’s role in drafting the proposal.

Sky News sources reported on Friday that Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were expected to hold a call next week to discuss the plan.

Later the same day, Zelenskyy addressed the nation, saying Ukraine was facing one of the “most difficult moments in its history” and may have to choose between “losing dignity” or risking the loss of its main ally.

European leaders have criticised the US proposal, calling it a potential “Ukrainian capitulation”, noting that it demands major concessions from Kyiv without requiring meaningful compromises from Moscow. European nations are reportedly preparing their own alternative plan.