Ukraine Introduces ‘Donnyland’ as Trump-Inspired Naming Initiative

(SeaPRwire) –   A novel idea has reportedly surfaced during Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations: designating a disputed 50-by-40-mile section of Ukraine’s industrial core as “Donnyland,” a name that references both the “Donbas” region and U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to sources familiar with the lengthy talks who spoke to the New York Times, Ukrainian officials initially proposed renaming a portion of the Donbas, which Russia seeks to control, as a strategy to encourage the Trump Administration to adopt a firmer stance against Russian territorial ambitions.

Governance of the area, devastated by years of conflict, is a central dispute in the talks. The Donbas, located in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, is internationally acknowledged as Ukrainian territory, but sections have been under Russian occupation since 2014. Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 extended its military control over large parts of Donbas. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to continue the military operation until Russia gains control of the entire administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that constitute the Donbas.

Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the war in 24 hours, has spent months trying to mediate a peace agreement without success. The concept of “Donnyland” was reportedly discussed at a time when the U.S. President seemed to be favoring a softer stance toward Russia, frequently criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and pushing him to accept a deal requiring major Ukrainian concessions.

In December, Zelensky proposed that sections of the Donbas could be transformed into demilitarized zones or free economic areas, though disagreements persist regarding the extent of administrative and policing authority each nation would hold there. As reported by the Times, Ukrainian negotiators have contemplated a neutral administrator or a joint Russian-Ukrainian governing body, or even oversight by a Trump-led Board of Peace. A “Monaco model” has also been considered, which would turn part of the Donbas into a semi-autonomous mini-state with special offshore economic status.

None of these suggestions have been officially approved by either party. The “Donnyland” concept has also only been part of verbal discussions, not formal written proposals. However, the Times reported that one Ukrainian negotiator advanced the idea to the point of creating a ChatGPT-designed green and gold flag and a national anthem for “Donnyland.” It remains unknown if U.S. officials have viewed these designs.

TIME has contacted the White House and the foreign ministries of Ukraine and Russia for statements.

Should it become reality, “Donnyland” would not be the inaugural instance of a foreign nation attempting to name something after Trump.

‘Fort Trump’

In 2018, Poland’s then-President Andrzej Duda proposed establishing a permanent U.S. military base in Poland called “Fort Trump.” The plan included a Polish commitment of $2 billion for infrastructure and support expenses.

Intended to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and discourage potential Russian aggression, Duda first unveiled “Fort Trump”—an idea Polish officials had debated for months—during a September 2018 visit to Washington. Trump remarked then that Duda “offered us much more than $2 billion to do this, and so we’re looking at it.”

The suggestion, however, faced domestic criticism in Poland, with opponents labeling it excessively obsequious. “Fort Trump” was never realized, but the U.S. did increase its military footprint in Poland, setting up a permanent U.S. Army corps headquarters in Poznań in 2022.

‘Trump Heights’

In March 2019, Trump departed from long-standing U.S. policy by becoming the first world leader to formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the June 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the area in 1981. The international community, including the UN, largely still regards the Golan Heights as Syrian territory under occupation.

To honor Trump’s move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in June 2019 the establishment of a new settlement in the Golan Heights named “Trump Heights” (“Ramat Trump” in Hebrew). U.S. Ambassador David Friedman commented at the ceremony, held near Trump’s birthday, “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.” Trump posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Thank you PM @Netanyahu and the State of Israel for this great honor!”

The settlement, home to only about two dozen families as of 2024, is identified by a sign displaying the U.S. and Israeli flags. In December 2024, Israel’s government revealed plans to invest $11 million to double the Israeli population in the Golan Heights.

‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’

Last August, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace declaration at the White House intended to conclude decades of conflict dating to 1988 over the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Over 100,000 Armenians fled the area after a September 2023 Azerbaijani military offensive, an event widely characterized as ethnic cleansing.

The Trump-brokered agreement, signed at the White House, established a new transit corridor through southern Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave and enabling travel from Europe to Central Asia while bypassing Russia and Iran. This route, for which the U.S. holds exclusive 99-year development rights, was christened the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP).