Ukrainian negotiators have proposed renaming that portion of Donbas for which Russia is still fighting as “Donnyland”, in an attempt to get back into the good graces of American President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, quoted by the EFE and Agerpres agencies.
The name, which alludes to both Donbas and the diminutive of Donald (“Donny”) and also evokes the Disneyland theme park, was first suggested as a joke by a Ukrainian negotiator, according to the NYT, which cited four sources familiar with the talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
But in recent months, negotiators have continued to use the name for this region in eastern Ukraine, which shows how more and more international leaders are turning to Trump's ego and vanity to protect their interests, EFE notes.
The area in question is about 80 kilometers long and 64 kilometers wide and, according to Ukraine, has about 190,000 inhabitants, although other sources consulted by the American newspaper believe that fewer than 100,000 inhabitants remain, given the proximity to the front line and the economic collapse of this industrial and mining area.
Ukraine insists it can defend this territory and does not want to cede it to Russia, which already controls most of Donbas. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed in December his openness to reaching an intermediate solution, with the creation of a demilitarized or free trade zone in this disputed territory.
The idea of a demilitarized zone “Donnyland” on the territory of Ukraine
This is where the concept of “Donnyland” comes in: an area over which neither Moscow nor Kiev would have absolute control and which Trump could present as a personal achievement, writes The New York Times.
Ukraine hopes this will prompt the United States to pressure Russia to temper its approach, as the Kremlin has so far agreed to create a demilitarized zone only if it is patrolled by Russian armed forces or police — something Kiev finds unacceptable, the US newspaper adds.
“Relying on Trump's footprint (in naming) a free economic zone is something (Ukrainians) probably see as a kind of deterrent” to prevent future Russian invasions, Rand Corporation analyst Samuel Charap told the newspaper.
A Ukrainian negotiator even created a green and gold flag for “Donnyland” and a national anthem with the help of ChatGPT, but it's unclear if he showed them to the US side, the newspaper reported.
The New York Times notes that the discussion also raised the possibility of calling the demilitarized zone agreement the “Monaco model,” given that it draws inspiration from the European city-state to describe the semi-autonomous microstate that would be created in Donbas.
That name appeared in draft peace treaties, while “Donnyland” was only mentioned in discussions, it adds.
Ukraine peace talks have been sidelined by the war in Iran, and the US delegation — led by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president's friend and special envoy Steve Witkoff — is waiting for progress on key issues before resuming talks, according to the NYT.
