Putin believes Russia can seize rest of Donetsk Oblast by year-end — Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin remains confident that his military forces can capture the remaining territory of Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine by the end of 2026, according to a Reuters report citing a Kremlin insider. During talks in Moscow with U.S. President Donald Trump's special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin expressed this view, stating that there is no possibility of reaching an agreement on the front line until the rest of Donetsk Oblast is secured, the source told Reuters.

Putin reportedly relies on reports from his military commanders to support this belief, expecting Russian forces to achieve this goal by the year's end. However, Western military analysts view this scenario as unlikely due to the sluggish pace of Russian advances. Ukraine has consistently rejected demands to cede any territory in Donbas, labeling such conditions as akin to capitulation.

At the outset of the talks, Putin reiterated that Trump continues to pursue a settlement despite describing the situation as complex, Reuters reported. Following the meeting, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov claimed that Witkoff and Kushner had committed to considering Putin's assessments on potential ways to end the war during their upcoming discussions in Kyiv.

The Kremlin characterized the meeting as "substantive," "frank," and held in an atmosphere of trust. Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5 and engaged in more than three hours of talks with Putin.

The U.S. envoys presented Putin with their proposals for resolving Russia's war against Ukraine, though Bloomberg reported that repeated visits by Trump's representatives to Moscow have yielded no breakthrough. Meanwhile, the Kremlin signaled after the latest talks that it remains unwilling to abandon its military objectives in Ukraine.

Putin is prepared to conclude the conflict only on Moscow's terms, while Russian demands have grown increasingly stringent as the Kremlin perceives itself as holding a "military advantage" over Ukraine, according to Bloomberg, citing Kremlin insiders. Witkoff and Kushner were scheduled to travel to Kyiv on September 6 following their Moscow visit, marking their first trip to the Ukrainian capital.