During the peace talks in Ukraine in recent months, Ukrainian officials have proposed calling the part of the Donbas that the aggressor state of russia is still fighting for "Donnyland."
It was reported by The New York Times.
Four people with knowledge of the negotiations cited by the newspaper said that the name is a reference to the words "Donbas" and "Donald." In addition, according to three of the people, when the Ukrainian negotiator first mentioned the term, partly in jest, it was part of an attempt to convince the Trump administration to stand up more firmly to russia's territorial demands.
Applying a name reminiscent of Disneyland to a depopulated, devastated stretch of Ukrainian territory may seem odd, but, the paper notes, it also reflects a global reality in which governments are appealing to Mr. Trump's vanity to bring American power to their side.
For Ukraine, these efforts have not yet yielded results. The term continues to be used in the negotiations, although as far as we know, it is not enshrined in any official documents. Negotiators have also floated the idea that Trump's "Peace Council" could play a role in governing the territory, although neither russia nor Ukraine has joined it so far, according to four people familiar with the talks.
Also, according to a source with knowledge of Ukraine's negotiating strategies, one Ukrainian negotiator created a flag for Donnyland - green and gold - and an anthem using ChatGPT. It is not known whether the American side saw them.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Trump takes a neutral position in russia's war against Ukraine, but the signals to the aggressor country are more positive than to Ukraine.
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