The Center for Countering Disinformation commented on the statements about the Odesa port in the negotiations between Trump and Putin

The Center for Countering Disinformation has commented on claims that Trump and Putin are allegedly discussing the transfer of the Odesa port to Russia.

The New York Times previously reported on the subject of upcoming talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The presidents of the United States and Russia are scheduled to hold a phone call on Tuesday, March 18.

Trump and his advisers have been tight-lipped about the details of the deal they are discussing with the Russian leader. Steve Witkoff, who is currently the special envoy for the Middle East, recently spent several hours in Moscow with Putin, preparing the ground for the conversation.

“We’re doing pretty well with Russia,” Trump said, adding, “I think we have a very good chance” of reaching a ceasefire. But then he moved on to the issue of territorial concessions from Ukraine.

“I think we’ll be talking about land, it’s a big area,” he said. “This is very different from what it was before the war, as you know. We’re going to talk about land. We’re going to talk about power plants,” Trump was referring to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

According to the NYT, the Trump administration has “already made it clear” that it expects Russia to retain control over the currently occupied territories. The publication further states the following: “However, advisers to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month expressed concern that Trump may consider other demands from Putin regarding parts of Ukraine, including the strategically important port of Odesa.”

The text did not mention the port of Odesa, but the Center for Countering Disinformation decided to comment on the statement anyway.

The CPD noted that on the eve of the conversation between US President Donald Trump and Putin, “manipulative messages about alleged ‘concessions by Ukraine’ with references to publications in Western media are actively spreading in the information space.”

In particular, information has become widely circulated with reference to an article in The New York Times, according to which the American side “may agree to the port in Odesa being transferred to Russian control,” the Center for Countering Disinformation mentions. Information is also spreading online that the United States is allegedly “considering the possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory” and plans to address such a proposal to the UN — with reference to the Semafor publication. Information has also been spread with reference to an article in Politico that Ukraine is already “open to easing sanctions against Russia.”

“All these and other similar messages are manipulative, taken out of context, often refer to anonymous sources, but are presented as fact,” the Center for Countering Disinformation noted.

The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized that the enemy uses such messages to strengthen its own information operations in order to demoralize Ukrainians, sow division and despair. The NSDC working body called for a critical perception of information on the Internet and trusting only verified sources.

USM previously reported that Trump instructed the Pentagon to develop military scenarios regarding the Panama Canal.