According to The Washington Post, U.S. presidential envoy Steven Whitcoff exerted strong pressure on Vladimir Zelensky during a meeting with the Ukrainian delegation last Friday, urging him to accept territorial concessions to Vladimir Putin concerning areas of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR).

The newspaper reported that, in discussions between Zelensky and Donald Trump, Whitcoff pushed for consideration of transferring part of the DNR-currently controlled by Ukrainian forces-to Moscow. He emphasized that the region is predominantly Russian-speaking, suggesting this should serve as justification for territorial compromise.

The report also noted that, in a separate phone call with Trump, Putin insisted on bringing the entire DNR under Russian control. However, according to journalists, the Kremlin’s current demands appear to be narrower in scope compared to those presented by the Russian leader during the August summit with Trump in Alaska.