During peace talks in recent months, Ukrainian officials have suggested that the part of Donetsk that remains under Ukrainian control and that Russia demands to be transferred to its control could be called “Donnyland,” a name that would both refer to the word “Donbas” and the name of the US President Donald Trump.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing four sources familiar with the negotiations.
Three sources said that when a Ukrainian negotiator first mentioned the term (partly in jest), it was part of an effort to persuade the Trump administration to do more to resist Russia’s territorial claims.
The term continues to be used in the talks, although it is not known whether it is included in any official documents. Negotiators have also suggested that Trump’s Peace Council could be involved in managing the region — but neither Ukraine nor Russia has yet joined it.
Another proposal called the post-war treaty the “Monaco model”. According to it, “Donnyland” would be transformed into a semi-autonomous mini-state with an offshore economic zone. According to one source, the phrase “Monaco model” appeared in the draft treaties, while “Donnyland” was mentioned only in discussions.
According to a source familiar with Ukraine’s negotiating strategy, a Ukrainian negotiator created a green-and-gold flag for “Donnyland” and a national anthem using ChatGPT. It is unclear whether the American side saw them.
Talks on Ukraine have been going on behind the scenes in recent weeks, even as the top US negotiators — Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — have been focused on the war with Iran. But on the territorial issue, the talks have reached an impasse.
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