Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Moscow intends to take control of Ukraine’s Donbas region “by military or other means,” reaffirming a key Kremlin objective as Ukrainian officials prepare for another round of peace talks with the United States.
Putin arrived in New Delhi — where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him shortly after meeting in Moscow with a U.S. delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are heading to the United States for additional discussions on a possible framework to end the ongoing conflict, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
In an interview with India Today, Putin stated that Russia would “liberate Donbas and Novorossiya in any case,” stressing that Moscow’s idea of victory is still rooted in capturing and holding those territories.
When asked what victory would entail, Putin responded: “We will finish it when we achieve the goals set at the beginning of the special military operation — when we free these territories.”
One of Russia’s main demands is that Ukraine relinquish parts of the Donbas region — territories Moscow claims to have annexed but does not fully control. Putin has also revived the historical notion of “Novorossiya,” a term from the Russian Empire that was referenced during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Despite these assertions, analysts say Russia’s advances remain slow. A recent assessment by the Institute for the Study of War indicated that, at the current rate, Russian forces would not fully capture the Donetsk region until 2027.
After his meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin said the negotiations were extensive and detailed but noted that Moscow disagreed with parts of the U.S. proposal. He reiterated Russia’s demands that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Donbas and cease military operations.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the meeting as “very good,” but acknowledged that both sides would need further cooperation before any breakthrough could be reached.
Both Russia and the United States have remained unclear about any concrete progress, particularly after the leak of a 28-point U.S. plan last month. Several provisions in that plan were viewed as favorable to Russia and had previously been rejected by Ukraine and European leaders.
Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, confirmed that territorial matters were part of the discussions, calling them essential to resolving the conflict. He said some parts of the American proposal were “more or less acceptable,” while others were not.
Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov are traveling to Miami to meet U.S. officials and review the outcomes of the Moscow talks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said their objective is to gather “full information” on Russia’s latest stance and understand “what additional reasons Putin has found to prolong the war.”
This upcoming session follows another high-level meeting earlier in the week, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “productive,” noting that “additional progress was made.”
