Overview
- The nickname, disclosed Wednesday in reports citing the New York Times, referred to a northwestern Donetsk strip about 80 by 65 kilometers with roughly 190,000 residents.
- Ukrainian negotiators used the term to flatter President Trump and press Washington to push back on Russian territorial claims, with some also floating a role for Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
- Sources said the idea stayed out of official documents, though one negotiator designed a green-and-gold flag and asked ChatGPT to compose an anthem.
- Draft language instead referenced special-governance options such as a demilitarized or free-trade zone under a “Monaco model” that would not be run by either army.
- Talks remain unresolved as Moscow insists on full legal control of the Donbas, Kyiv rejects giving up land, and key U.S. envoys focus their attention on the Iran war.