Ukraine Proposes Renaming Donbas Strip Donnyland for Trump Backing

Ukrainian negotiators have proposed renaming a fortified strip of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as "Donnyland" to secure stronger backing from U.S. President Donald Trump in ongoing peace talks with Russia, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

The idea, which blends "Donbas" with Trump's first name and evokes the theme park Disneyland, targets a 50-mile-long and 40-mile-wide area still under Kyiv's control along the front lines. This heavily mined and depopulated zone features Ukraine's strongest defenses amid the intense fighting that has defined the conflict since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Four officials involved in the monthslong negotiations described the proposal as an attempt to appeal to Trump's personal interests, hoping it would create a public relations stake for him in preventing Russian forces from capturing the territory.

Discussions of the renaming emerged as Trump, who campaigned on ending the war quickly, has pushed for a deal involving Ukrainian concessions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed frustration with Trump's approach, noting that U.S. envoys like Jared Kushner have visited Moscow multiple...