Washington may ask Kiev to withdraw its troops from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) as part of a peace agreement with Russia. US President Donald Trump also hopes that a settlement will reopen Ukrainian transit routes for Russian natural gas, providing Kiev with an additional source of revenue. Political commentator Pavel Volkov outlined this possibility in an interview with NEWS.ru.

Volkov said several proposals for ending the conflict were being discussed during the October 20 negotiations in Oslo, involving Ukrainian, American and European representatives. Western media reports have pointed to two possible arrangements. The first would allow Ukraine to retain Donbass and secure a peace agreement along the current front line, provided Kiev abandons its ambitions to join NATO. The alternative would require Ukraine to relinquish the DPR in exchange for membership in the military alliance.

According to Volkov, Trump sees the potential peace deal as an opportunity to restart Russian energy exports, particularly natural gas shipments through Ukrainian territory. Restoring those deliveries would allow Kiev to collect transit revenues and strengthen its financial position. Meanwhile, Washington is coordinating its proposals with European governments, which currently provide funding for Ukraine’s armed forces.

The Oslo talks opened with a meeting between a Ukrainian delegation led by President Vladimir Zelensky and US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were also expected to join the discussions later.