Donald Trump<\/a> has signalled that the U.S. would help, a bit, in \u201csecurity guarantees\u201d as part of a land for peace deal between Ukraine<\/a> and Russia<\/a>. And Kyiv would need it \u2013 the land the Kremlin wants is Ukraine\u2019s best laid defence.<\/a><\/p>\n Handing a vast chunk of the Donetsk Oblast province to Russia when Moscow currently controls about 70 per cent<\/a> \u2013 would hand Vladimir Putin<\/a> some of Ukraine\u2019s finest redoubts and most doubty defenders.<\/p>\n It would include thousands of miles of pre-prepared trenches, tank traps that snake across the rolling landscape, pre-prepared ambush positions \u2013 a modern Maginot Line.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s ministry of defence has estimated that it would take Russia \u201c4.4 years\u201d and nearly 2 million casualties to take the four provinces it has claimed. <\/p>\n An agreement to freeze the frontline where they are, but for Russia to settle for the land it has taken<\/a> plus the Donetsk bonus, will probably save them a couple of years fighting. If the battle for Bakhmut is an indication of how hard won Russian advances are then a pause in the killing is a huge result for Putin who has lost 60,000 there.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office (AP)<\/p>\n Kramatorsk would be a harder fight. So would nearby Slaviansk. Hundreds of thousands of Russians would die in fights for those fortress cities. Slaviansk was hit by missiles last night,<\/a> but knowing its residents, they\u2019d fight invading Russians with broomsticks if they have to.<\/p>\n But if Trump can get Ukraine to agree to hand over the land \u2013 then Putin saves men and arms to reuse another day. <\/p>\n Trump broke away from talks <\/a>with Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland plus the top representatives of Nato and the EU, to call Putin during their multilateral summit on Monday evening.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Trump interrupted his meeting with European leaders to speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n Trump spent much of this year trying to get a ceasefire agreed in Ukraine<\/a>. He showed uncharacteristic irritation with Russia\u2019s maximalist demands and over Putin\u2019s refusal to respect calls to down weapons, even for a breather.<\/p>\n Trump threatened economic sanctions,<\/a> and sanctioned India,<\/a> the second biggest importer of Russian oil, in an effort to get the Russian leader to comply. Putin, an indicted war criminal, got a trip to Alaska and a summit<\/a> with the U.S. president where he persuaded Trump that a ceasefire wasn\u2019t necessary.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Ursula von der Leyen; Sir Keir Starmer; Alexander Stubb; Volodymyr Zelensky; Donald Trump; Emmanuel Macron; Giorgia Meloni; Friedrich Merz and Mark Rutte pose for a \u2018family photo\u2019 in the White House (PA Wire)<\/p>\n He also managed to shift the debate about the future of Ukraine to \u201cland swaps\u201d and discussions about what bits of its land Ukraine would surrender in return for vague Trumpian commitments to \u201csecurity guarantees\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/18-573ab2bf7fa24faba62d9c301e5b1d91.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-SUMMIT-TRUMP-PUTIN-dzlt563w.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ursula](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8155ff68dc378a5cdae1f4b9586f8fd0Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU1NjM1NDg3-2.81293786.jpg\")
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