“Donnyland” instead of Donbas? Ukraine's surprising plan to curry favor with Trump

In recent months, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities proposed during negotiations that part of Donbas be called “Donnyland”, the New York Times wrote on Tuesday. This would honor US President Donald Trump.

The term is used in conversations, but it is not known whether it has appeared in any official documents. Negotiators also suggested that Trump's Peace Council play a role in administering the area.

We are talking about a part of the Donetsk Oblast that is under the control of Ukrainian forces. This part of Donbas remains one of the main points of contention in the negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he would not give this area to the Russians. However, he declared that he was open to the idea of ​​creating a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone there.

“Donnyland” refers to both the name of the region and the name of the US president. When one Ukrainian negotiator first mentioned the name, partly in jest, it was intended to persuade the Trump administration to push harder against Russian territorial demands, three people familiar with the talks said.

The daily assessed that naming part of Donbas in this way reflects the reality in which the governments “they appeal to Trump's vanity to gain American support“.

According to the source, the Ukrainian negotiator even designed the (green and gold) flag and anthem of “Donnyland” using ChatGPT. It is not known whether they were presented to the Americans.

In April, the president of Ukraine announced that he expected a visit to his country soon by Trump's representatives: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, the daily's source said that the Americans are still waiting for more progress in the negotiations and are also planning another visit to Russia.

The newspaper recalled that in 2018, Poland wanted to name the new US military base “Fort Trump”, and last year the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace declaration at the White House, providing for the establishment of the Trump Trail for International Peace and Prosperity.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

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