President Donald Trump thinks Ukraine and Russia should freeze the front line and end the conflict, which would include dividing the eastern Donbas region as a result.

"We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are – the battle lines... go home, stop killing people, and be done," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

When asked whether Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he should cede the Donbas to Russia, Trump said, "No. We never discussed it."

Zelensky met with Trump in Washington on Friday.

The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that Trump had allegedly urged Zelensky during their meeting on Friday to give up the entire Donbas to end the war.

Such a move would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to achieve one of his key objectives in the war that Putin started in February 2022.

Trump said he thought some 78% of the land had already been "taken by Russia," adding that he wants a halt on the battlefield and the two sides should deal with the details later.

Asked what he thought should be done with the Donbas region, Trump said "Let it be cut the way it is. It's cut up right now."

"They can negotiate something later on down the line."

Before 2014, the industrial region of Donbas had a population of approximately 6.5 million and was the core of Ukraine's heavy industry, rich in coal and iron. However, many mines and factories were already outdated at that time.

Trump had previously insisted Ukraine could regain all of its territory with the help of the European Union.