The proposal to end the war in Ukraine that emerged from the summit in Alaska between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia centers on persuading Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in the east.
The traditionally Russian-speaking area has been at the heart of what Mr. Putin calls the “root causes” of the war, and taking it over is near the top of his list of territorial and political demands.
Mr. Putin has tried to control the Donbas since embarking on his campaign to control Ukraine in 2014, first through separatist proxies and then by invading and annexing the region in 2022. Since the full-scale invasion, the Donbas has been the site of the war’s deadliest battles, and is the main focus of Russia’s summer offensive.
The Kremlin’s forces and its separatist allies have conquered about 87 percent of the Donbas since 2014, according to data from DeepState, a Ukrainian group that tracks battlefield developments. Russian forces are now chipping away at the 2,600 square miles of the region that remain in Ukrainian hands with very heavy losses. Without a cease-fire, the battle for the Donbas is almost certain to stretch into next year and cost tens of thousands of lives, military analysts say.
The region’s fate could shape the outcome of the war.
What is Putin offering?
The substance of a peace deal discussed by Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin in Alaska on Friday remains murky. The few known details come from the U.S. president’s telling of the discussion in a later call to European officials.
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The post Putin’s Ukraine Proposal Backed by Trump Centers on Donbas. Here’s Why. appeared first on New York Times.
