Ukrainian officials involved in negotiations over the conflict have, in informal settings, floated an unusual idea to their American counterparts: renaming the portion of Donbass still under Ukrainian Armed Forces control as «Donniland.» The New York Times reports this, citing several participants in the переговорный процесс.

According to the publication, the initiative was driven by a расчет that such a move might resonate with U. S. President Donald Trump and encourage him to take a tougher stance toward Russia on the вопрос of the region’s territorial status.

Sources familiar with the discussions say the proposal began as a joke. Over time, however, it evolved beyond irony. Officials went as far as sketching out symbolic attributes for the hypothetical entity, including a green-and-gold flag, and even turned to a neural network to generate a possible anthem.

The newspaper notes that, based on information from four sources within the Ukrainian negotiating group, these discussions did take place. At the same time, it remains unclear whether any of these ideas were ever formally presented to the American side.