Why the Donbas Matters to Putin So Much

The region is at the heart of the Ukraine war.

A soldier in a helmet and residents in T-shirts look toward a smoking house on the horizon. August 21, 2025, 1:19 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict three years on.

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At a summit in Alaska last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told U.S. President Donald Trump that Ukraine must cede control of the country’s eastern Donbas region as a condition for ending the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that he will not make territorial concessions in exchange for a peace agreement, while underscoring that it’s not within his constitutional authority to do so.

At a summit in Alaska l

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