According to reports, President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his intention to capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of this year, a stance articulated before the arrival of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow and Kyiv. Sources indicate that military commanders have convinced Putin that Russian forces could achieve this objective, stating that until this is realized, “there are no chances to reach an agreement on the front line.”
Western military analysts, however, consider such an outcome unlikely given the slow pace of Russia’s advances. Moreover, Ukraine has categorically rejected any territorial concessions, viewing them as tantamount to capitulation.
In light of the American delegation’s visit to Moscow, the Kremlin maintained that Putin’s longstanding position on Ukraine abandoning the Donbas region and retreating towards NATO remains “unyielding.” This was highlighted by Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, following discussions with Witkoff and Kushner, who stated that Russia provided an assessment of the war situation, including supposed advancements by Russian forces, while NATO officials reported that Russian progress had slowed to a quarter of last year’s pace during the summer months.
Ushakov noted that Trump’s representatives outlined “a number of considerations regarding potential paths to resolution,” but did not indicate any signs of breakthrough in talks.
A White House official informed Reuters that discussions were “substantive,” and that further steps would be announced in the coming weeks. On September 6, the American envoys are scheduled to visit Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Context
- The Kremlin has repeatedly postponed deadlines for its military regarding the capture of the Donbas. On January 29, Palisa stated that Russia planned to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by late March or early April 2026. This deadline has been moved multiple times by the Russian leadership.
- On July 22, Bloomberg reported that the Russian defense ministry had persuaded the illegitimate president Vladimir Putin that capturing Donbas by the end of 2026 was possible. However, some Russian military personnel doubted this timeframe and suggested that complete control of Donetsk might only be achievable by 2027.
