In recent Ukraine peace talks, Ukrainian officials suggested that the slice of the country’s Donbas region that Russia is still fighting for could be nicknamed “Donnyland” in honor of US President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported.
The proposal, described by people familiar with the negotiations as partly symbolic, was intended to appeal to Trump and encourage his administration to take a harder line against Russia’s territorial demands.
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The name, a play on “Donbas” and “Donald,” was first raised partly in jest, according to the report. But it remained in circulation during the talks as Ukrainian negotiators looked for ways to frame a potential settlement as a political win for Trump.
The Donbas region in eastern Ukraine has been at the center of the conflict since 2014 and remains one of the main battlegrounds since Russia launched its full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
According to the report, negotiators also floated the idea that Trump’s Board of Peace could help administer the proposed zone, though neither Russia nor Ukraine has formally joined such a body.
Negotiators have also floated the possibility of Mr. Trump’s Board of Peace playing a role in administering the area, which would not be fully controlled by either side and would be branded as an accomplishment for Mr. Trump.
NYT recalls that when Poland sought a U.S. military base in 2018, it pitched the idea as Fort Trump.
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