During recent peace talks, Ukrainian officials suggested that the side of the Donbas region for which Russia is still fighting could be named „Donnyland” in honor of American President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian negotiators reportedly proposed the idea as a symbolic gesture to garner support from the U.S. and encourage the Trump administration to take a tougher stance against Russia’s territorial claims, as reported by the New York Times.
The name, a play on words between "Donbas" and "Donald," was initially used more in jest. Ukraine's effort has not yet borne fruit, but the term continued to surface in discussions as Ukrainian officials sought ways to frame a potential agreement as a political win for Trump, according to four individuals familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the American newspaper.
"Monaco Model" for "Donnyland"
According to the report, negotiators also floated the idea that Trump's Peace Council could help administer the proposed zone, although neither Russia nor Ukraine has officially joined this body.
Additionally, according to the Ukrainian proposal, the Peace Council could play a role in managing the area, which would not be fully controlled by either party and would be seen as an achievement for Trump.
However, Russia has not accepted an agreement satisfactory to Ukraine, and the fate of this approximately 80 kilometers long and 65 kilometers wide zone remains one of the main sticking points in the negotiations.
The Donbas region in eastern Ukraine has been at the center of the conflict with Russia since 2014 and remains one of the main areas of hostilities since Russia launched the full-scale war in 2022.
Another proposal regarding the region under discussion aimed at a post-war arrangement following the "Monaco model." According to this concept, "Donnyland" would become a semi-autonomous mini-state with an offshore economic zone.
Additionally, a source mentioned that a Ukrainian negotiator created a green-gold "Donnyland" flag and a national anthem using ChatGPT.
The position of Trump and the American delegation regarding the novel proposal is unknown.
The New York Times recalls that several geopolitical initiatives have suggested naming strategic projects or areas after Donald Trump, from Poland's 2018 idea of hosting a U.S. military base called "Fort Trump" to naming a transportation route between Armenia and Azerbaijan the "Trump Route."
Ukraine Does Not Want to Give Up Donbas
"Donnyland" was a way in which Ukrainians tried to persuade Trump to be on their side, notes the American newspaper.
Since the American president met with Putin in Alaska last August, the Trump administration has signaled that it could support a peace agreement in which Ukraine would withdraw to the administrative border of the Donetsk region, which is part of Donbas—a move that critics viewed as a major concession to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian officials state that approximately 190,000 people currently reside in this territory. Others close to the discussions estimate that the actual population figure could be about half of this number. The area is so close to the front that the main highway leading to the area is covered with protective nets against Russian drones.
Few remnants of the local economy remain, aside from a functional coal mine and a few small businesses serving the soldiers in the area, including shops selling balloons and flowers that soldiers can buy for their wives or girlfriends visiting, as reported by the American newspaper.
Ukraine insists it can defend this area and will not give it up. However, in December, President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled openness to a compromise that would create a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone under the full control of neither warring party.
T.D.
