Trump administration proposes leasing Donbas to Russia in return for rent – The Telegraph

The Telegraph has reported, citing unnamed officials, that a 28-point peace plan between Russia and Ukraine, which is said to have been supported by US President Donald Trump, envisages Russia paying rent for control over Donbas.

Source: The Telegraph

Details: Officials familiar with the deal told The Telegraph that, under the Trump administration's plan, Kyiv would "cede control of the eastern Donbas region, but maintain legal ownership. Russia would pay an undisclosed rental fee for de facto control of the region".

It is noted that Trump's idea of a "land lease scheme" fits a business-style model sometimes used to underpin peace settlements.

The Telegraph adds that "the Donbas is rich in minerals. In exchange for the territory, Moscow could be expected to pay a ground fee to compensate for the financial losses incurred by Ukraine's losing access to its lands".

The Telegraph also notes that, under Ukraine's Constitution, any transfer of territory must be put to a public vote, which would likely fail, but could be sidestepped if the arrangement is framed as a lease.

Background:

• On 19 November, several US media outlets reported on a new 28-point peace plan that US President Donald Trump's team developed in consultation with Russian representatives
• The Financial Times reported that the new 28-point US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine envisages, among other things, handing all of Donbas to Russia, giving up certain categories of weaponry, cutting the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in half and recognising Russian as a state language.
• Qatar and Türkiye are also reportedly involved in developing the drafting of the new plan.
• Axios reported that a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Türkiye regarding the new peace plan was cancelled because the Ukrainian president arrived with a different plan, which Russia "will never accept".

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