Ukraine's presidential office reveals new Russian deadline for capturing Donetsk region

According to Palisa, Russia’s political leadership has set another deadline for the complete occupation of the Donetsk region — by the end of 2026. At the same time, the Russian military is asking to postpone the deadline to March 31, 2027.

According to him, Russia’s plans and the reasons why they remain unfulfilled were discussed during a meeting between Ukrainian officials and US President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The meeting was attended by the head of the Office of the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and the commander of the Air Force.

The sides also separately discussed Russian air attacks and the use of jet-powered drones by Russian forces.

Palisa said Russia has failed to achieve a technological breakthrough in developing such drones.

"The new challenge is jet-powered drones. And once again, the Russians have no technological breakthrough of their own here," Palisa said.

According to the deputy head of the Office of the President, Ukraine is already working on means of intercepting such drones. He also stressed that the amount of military assistance provided by partners directly affects the ability to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a source close to the Kremlin said ahead of the US delegation’s visit that no peace agreement could be reached without full Russian control over the Donetsk region. At the same time, according to the source, Putin is confident that the Russian army can accomplish this task by the end of 2026.

ISW also calculated that since the start of the war, Putin has set 15 deadlines for capturing the Donetsk region. The Russian army has failed to meet every one of them.