Ukraine rejects US proposal to redraw Donetsk and Luhansk borders
Ukraine rejected a US proposal to redraw the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as part of a possible territorial agreement with Russia. The proposal could have allowed Moscow to claim the two regions in full while Ukraine retained the rest of Donbas, but its legal implications were unclear. The issue emerged as the first round of trilateral Ukraine-US-Russia talks concluded in Abu Dhabi.
Key points
- Ukraine rejected the US proposal to adjust the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
- The proposal would allow Russia to claim both oblasts in full while Ukraine retained control over the rest of Donbas.
- Russia reportedly demanded about 5,179.9 square kilometres of territory in Donetsk and Luhansk that its forces cannot capture.
- Ukraine's delegation said it never discussed or recognized territorial concessions to Russian occupation.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would not accept a peace agreement requiring Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Donbas.
- The first round of Ukraine-US-Russia talks ended in Abu Dhabi on 10 November after about four hours.
- The talks covered security guarantees, Russian demands, Ukraine's future and a possible large-scale prisoner exchange.
Why it matters
The proposal linked a possible territorial compromise to efforts to unblock negotiations with Russia. Rejecting it preserved Ukraine's stated position that occupied territory would not be conceded or recognized, while also exposing questions over legal status, security guarantees and the durability of any postwar settlement.
What happened
American negotiators proposed changing the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to match areas occupied by Russian forces. Under the reported compromise, Russia could declare full control over both oblasts, Ukraine would retain the rest of Donbas, and Ukrainian forces would not have to surrender cities still under their control. However, the legal status of Ukrainian-controlled territory would have remained unclear. Ukraine rejected the proposal, and Zelenskyy said Kyiv would not accept a peace deal requiring Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Donbas. The first round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia concluded in Abu Dhabi on 10 November after roughly four hours; a second round was scheduled for 11 November.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage centers on the rejection of the proposal and the position that no occupied territory would be conceded or recognized. Zelenskyy opposed demands for territorial withdrawals and criticized an approach that placed pressure on Kyiv for concessions rather than on Moscow. The reporting also connects the initiative to Russia's broader territorial ambitions and to warnings about exaggerated claims of battlefield control.
How international sources describe it
International coverage portrays the proposal as an American attempt to unblock peace talks. It would have enabled Russia to claim both oblasts in full while Ukraine retained the remaining Donbas, but left the legal status of Ukrainian-controlled areas unclear. Significant attention was also given to Moscow's reported demand for nearly 5,180 square kilometres of territory it had not been able to capture.
Background
Russia announced the illegal annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in September 2022. Russian officials have since included Crimea and nine oblasts in the purported region they call "Novorossia." The Institute for the Study of War said exaggerated Russian claims about battlefield advances form part of a broader information campaign and could distort negotiations over administrative borders.