Bloomberg: Russia Is Ready to Return to Negotiations After Seizing Donbas
Russia, the aggressor state, is ready to return to negotiations with Ukraine only after seizing the entire territory of Donetsk Oblast, Bloomberg reports, citing two sources close to the Kremlin.
According to one of the sources, the Russian Ministry of Defense has assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that it will be able to establish full control over the region by the end of 2026. Bloomberg’s sources claim that the Kremlin is linking a return to negotiations to Putin’s achievement of his goal of seizing the Donbas.
At the same time, sources close to the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow told Bloomberg that many representatives of the Russian military consider such a plan unrealistic. According to their estimates, Russia will only be able to take control of the Donetsk region in 2027.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he was surprised by the assumption that the war—or its active phase—would end if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas. NATO also does not believe that Russia will be able to capture the belt of strongholds in Donbas by the end of next year.
