WASHINGTON, October 20. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump believes that Russian and Ukrainian forces should cease hostilities and remain at the current line of contact.

"Trump said he and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin did not discuss Donbass, and repeated his desire for both sides to ‘stop at the battle lines’," the press pool reported. "Seventy-eight percent of the land is already taken by Russia. They can negotiate something later down the road," the US leader said about potential agreements between Moscow and Kiev on territorial issues. The report does not specify which territory Trump was referring to.

"They can negotiate something later on down the line," Trump added. He assured that he did not discuss the transfer of control over Donbass to Russia during his October 17 meeting with Vladimir Zelensky.

When asked about the parties' control over Donbass, Trump said: "Let it be cut the way it is."

Earlier, Trump told Fox News that ending the conflict in Ukraine would result in Kiev losing territory.

Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the special military operation in Ukraine will end when all of its goals have been achieved. According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, these goals can be achieved through the special military operation or relevant negotiations. The objectives of the special operation were listed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. They include demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine, establishing its neutral status, and recognizing the realities on the ground. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, became part of Russia following referendums held there from September 23 to 27, 2022. Crimea and Sevastopol rejoined to Russia after a referendum held in March 2014 against the backdrop of a coup d’etat in Ukraine.