While open-source maps of the conflict show that Russian forces have occupied most of the Donbas, Ukrainian troops\u00a0maintain\u00a0hard-fought, heavily fortified defenses\u00a0in the rest of the region, which Kyiv is loathe to abandon over fears it paves the way for Vladimir Putin to further invade the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet it\u00a0be cut\u00a0the way it is, it\u2019s\u00a0cut up right now,\u201d\u00a0Trump\u00a0added about the Donbas. \u201cI think 78\u00a0percent\u00a0of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right\u00a0now,\u00a0they can negotiate something\u00a0later on\u00a0down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the talks with Zelenskyy in Washington,\u00a0a person familiar with the matter\u00a0told POLITICO that\u00a0Trump initially suggested\u00a0Kyiv\u00a0should give up territory<\/a> to\u00a0Moscow\u00a0to end the war, adding\u00a0the \u201cAmericans said that Putin wants to keep fighting, and he has a strong war machine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But Trump\u00a0ultimately ended the meeting by saying: \u2018OK, let\u2019s try to end this on the current line,\u2019\u201d the person said.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s Trump-Zelenskyy summit came a day after the American president\u00a0announced he\u2019d spoken<\/a> by phone with\u00a0Putin\u00a0and\u00a0the two\u00a0had agreed\u00a0to restart peace talks\u00a0with a meeting\u00a0in Budapest. That prompted fear among Ukrainian and European officials that the American leader\u00a0was again being swayed by Kremlin talking points.\u00a0<\/p>\n