Putin wants to seize the entire Donbas region by the end of the year
Vladimir Putin still intends to fully capture the Donbas and, according to a Reuters source close to the Kremlin, believes this is possible by the end of 2026. Western military analysts are skeptical of this scenario due to the slow pace of the Russian army’s advance.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his plan to capture the entire Donbas region. According to a Reuters source, the Kremlin believes the Russian army can accomplish this task by the end of the year.
According to the source, Putin still intends to seize new Ukrainian territories. The Russian leader is reportedly confident that his army will be able to complete the capture of the part of the Donetsk region that remains under Ukrainian control. “There is no chance of reaching an agreement along the front line until Putin secures the remaining part of Donetsk Oblast,” the Reuters source said.
According to the source, Putin’s confidence is based on reports from Russian commanders. They, the source claims, are assuring the Kremlin that Russian troops will be able to accomplish this task by the end of the year. At the same time, Reuters points out an important detail. The source provided these remarks prior to public reports about the visit of U.S. representatives to Moscow and their meeting with Putin. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether the Russian leadership’s position has changed following talks with U.S. President’s Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Western analysts are skeptical of the Kremlin’s plans
Western military experts consider it unlikely that Russia will be able to quickly capture the entire territory of Donbas. The main reason is the pace of the Russian offensive.
Russian troops continue to attack along various sections of the front, but their advance remains slow. To capture the entire territory of the Donetsk region, Moscow would have to conduct a large-scale offensive operation and overcome resistance from Ukrainian forces. This is precisely why there is a noticeable discrepancy between the Kremlin’s stated plans and the actual situation on the front lines. Russia has been trying to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast for quite some time. However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold onto part of the region and are holding back the Russian advance.
Putin Met with Trump’s Representatives
Against this backdrop, Putin’s meeting with special envoys of the U.S. president was of great significance. On September 5, Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow, where they held talks with the Russian leader. The meeting lasted more than three hours.
The visit by the American representatives was linked to Washington’s efforts to advance negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, there were no signs of a concrete breakthrough following the meeting.
Reuters highlights the remarks of Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, who spoke about the talks after they concluded. According to the agency’s assessment, his statements did not indicate that the parties had reached an agreement in principle. This may suggest that Moscow is not yet ready to abandon its core territorial demands.
Donbas Remains the Main Issue
The very issue of territory remains one of the most difficult in any potential negotiations to end the war. Russia wants to gain control over the entire Donetsk region and insists on its territorial demands. Ukraine, for its part, refuses to voluntarily cede the occupied territories or those under its control to Russia. Therefore, even if the U.S. continues to try to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table, the Donbas issue may remain one of the main obstacles to reaching an agreement.
A new Reuters report indicates that the Russian leadership, at least as of the time of the agency’s conversation with its source, has not ruled out a military scenario. At the same time, it is important to distinguish between the Kremlin’s intentions and the actual capabilities of the Russian military. The fact that Putin expects to capture the Donbas by the end of the year does not necessarily mean that Russian troops will actually be able to accomplish this task. Currently, the Russian army continues its offensive operations, while Ukrainian forces are resisting and striking at Russian troops and their logistics.
Therefore, the forecast of a complete capture of Donbas by the end of 2026 remains merely a plan and an expectation of the Russian leadership, rather than a confirmed scenario of events. Reuters reports this, citing a source close to the Kremlin.
In Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held talks with Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation—the aggressor state—regarding further steps to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
