Putin confident he will capture Donbas by year-end - Reuters
Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin still intends to capture the entire territory of Donbas. He believes this goal is achievable by the end of this year, according to Reuters.
A source close to the Kremlin stated that Putin still intends to capture increasingly more territory. However, Reuters clarifies that this comment was made before publications emerged regarding the visit of Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow.
"There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region," the source said, adding that the Kremlin leader is confident, based on information from his commanders, that this will happen by the end of the year.
Western military analysts consider this possibility unlikely given Moscow's slow pace of progress.
Notably, on September 5, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow, where they held talks with Putin that lasted more than three hours. Reuters notes that there are currently no signs that this conversation produced a breakthrough.
Peace negotiations
Following yesterday's meeting, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov provided several comments to Russian media. He stated that the US had formulated a range of considerations regarding an exit from the war and claimed that Trump’s envoys promised to incorporate Putin’s assessments into today's negotiations with Ukraine.
According to Axios, the US and Russia discussed further steps toward ending the war, which will be publicly announced in the coming weeks. The overall goal of the visit is to advance Trump’s agenda for establishing peace.
In addition to Witkoff and Kushner, several other representatives were present during the Moscow visit, including the US sanctions official from the Treasury Department. Presumably, the topic of American sanctions against Russia was addressed.
