The 'land swap' that wasn't: Inside Trump's frantic dash for Ukraine peace


  • World
  • Thursday, 28 Aug 2025

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Finland's President Alexander Stubb, pose for a family photo amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Drago/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Shortly after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 6, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff delivered major news to Donald Trump: The Russian president was prepared to offer significant territorial concessions to end his war in Ukraine.

Following Witkoff's readout to the U.S. president, described by two people briefed on the matter, Trump hailed his emissary's "great progress" and agreed to hold a historic summit with Putin, indicating that a land swap was on the table.

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