--- title: "Trump’s Team Discusses Donbas 'Very Delicately': Insider Reveals US Position in Peace Talks" description: "An insider revealed that Trump's team discusses Donbas 'very delicately' and makes no direct demands regarding territories, yet persistently asks Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian refineries, citing rising diesel prices." date: 2026-10-21T12:06:04.215Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/trump-team-donbas-refineries-peace-talks-insider tags: [trump, ukraine, donbas, peace-talks, refineries, zelensky, diesel, us-policy] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Trump’s Team Discusses Donbas 'Very Delicately': Insider Reveals US Position in Peace Talks ![Jared Kushner and an American politician in black coats outdoors during international talks](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/21/komanda-trampa-donbas-npz-mirnye-peregovory-insayder/komanda-trampa-donbas-npz-mirnye-peregovory-insayder-1.webp) ## Key Points - Trump's team has not made direct demands to cede Donbas to Russia, discussing the issue 'very delicately' in the role of a mediator - The US persistently asks Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian refineries, arguing this by rising diesel prices - The Ukrainian side rejects the diesel argument as a 'pure fake' and refuses to stop strikes while Russia continues attacks - Zelenskyy previously stated his readiness to freeze the conflict along the frontline US President Donald Trump's team continues to conduct peace talks to end the Russian war, maintaining, according to an informed source, a moderate stance on the Donbas issue. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing its own source close to the negotiation process. The insider detailed how the American side formulates its approaches to key conflict nodes—from the status of individual territories to security and energy issues. ### US Position on Donbas: No Direct Demands According to the source, Trump's team discusses the Donbas issue «very delicately». No direct demands from Washington to hand over these territories to Russia have been made. The American side, as described by the insider, takes a mediator position: «They say there are intermediaries: like, they came, listened, those demand something, media voice something, all our surrogate proposals don't fit, so you decide, and we are helping both sides, in such a mode». The source emphasized that over the past six months, the American side cannot be accused of direct pressure on Kyiv on the territorial issue. ### Strikes on Refineries and the 'Sensitive Topic' of Diesel A separate block in the talks, according to the insider, is the persistent US requests to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. The American side formulates them in the key of mutual assistance: «We are helping you, we are not asking what you give us for the security we are ready to provide you, what you give us instead for intelligence data, etc. We do not work on the principle of transactionality, but build relations between two countries». Within these discussions, according to the source, a «sensitive topic» is raised—the rise in diesel fuel prices, which Washington links to the consequences of refinery strikes. ### Kyiv's Reaction: 'Our Military Will Not Understand' The Ukrainian side, according to the insider, rejects the argument about diesel as inconsistent with reality: «This, of course, is a pure fake, those are not the volumes of diesel, but it sounds nice». At the same time, Kyiv confirms that requests to stop the strikes are coming in, but refuses to fulfill them: «We reply that we cannot tell our military not to strike at a time when the Russians are striking». The source concludes that any such decision would be perceived inside the country as «betrayal», and the military would not accept such an order. ### Context: Readiness for Frontline Freeze Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready for a scenario of freezing the conflict along the frontline. This context makes particularly noticeable the moderation of the tone with which, according to the source, Trump's team approaches the territorial issue: instead of ultimatums, Washington proposes a format in which both sides make decisions independently, and the American side positions itself as a helper rather than an arbiter with veto power. ## Accounts differ ### Impact of refinery strikes on diesel prices - **US (Trump team, via intermediaries):** Refinery strikes affect rising diesel prices, so they should be temporarily halted ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ssha-delikatno-govoryat-donbas-udari-npz-1792584080.html)) - **Ukrainian side (informed RBC-Ukraine source):** The diesel argument is a 'pure fake', diesel volumes do not correspond to the stated impact of strikes ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ssha-delikatno-govoryat-donbas-udari-npz-1792584080.html)) *Where they agree:* The US formulates a persistent request to stop strikes on Russian refineries; Ukraine confirms such requests are arriving ## Fact-Check & Sources - [США "деликатно" говорят о Донбассе, а удары по НПЗ просят прекратить, - источник](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ssha-delikatno-govoryat-donbas-udari-npz-1792584080.html) - The sole source is an anonymous RBC-Ukraine insider. The fact of negotiations and requests to stop refinery strikes aligns with the public context. Specific quotes and the 'pure fake' assessment regarding diesel are words of a single source; independent verification is impossible. ## FAQ ### Does the US demand that Ukraine give Donbas to Russia? According to an informed source of RBC-Ukraine, there were no direct demands from Washington. Trump's team discusses the issue 'very delicately' and positions itself as a mediator helping both sides, rather than a party issuing ultimatums. ### Why does the US ask to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries? The American side cites the rise in diesel fuel prices and frames the request in the context of mutual assistance and building relations between countries, rather than transactional exchange. ### How does Ukraine react to US requests regarding refineries? The Ukrainian side, according to the insider, calls the diesel argument a 'pure fake' and refuses to stop strikes while Russia continues attacks. The source notes that such a decision would be perceived as 'betrayal'. ### Is Zelenskyy ready for a conflict freeze? RBC-Ukraine previously reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready for a scenario of freezing the war along the frontline.