Russia Hardens Territorial Demands, Dropping Concessions in Ukraine
Bloomberg reports that Kremlin sources say Putin now seeks full control of Donbas and retention of occupied Sumy and Kharkiv regions as buffer zones, abandoning previous concessions.
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Russia has hardened its territorial demands in Ukraine, abandoning earlier concessions, according to Bloomberg, citing sources close to the Kremlin. Dictator Vladimir Putin is reportedly committed to achieving full control over Donbas while keeping the occupied parts of Sumy and Kharkiv regions as buffer zones.
The shift follows the collapse of an unofficial agreement allegedly reached during a Russia-U.S. summit in Anchorage in August 2025. Sources say Russia is ready to return to negotiations only after fully occupying the Donetsk region. Russia's Defense Ministry has assured Putin that this can be accomplished by the end of 2026, but a ministry source noted that many military officials consider this timeline unrealistic and estimate full control of Donbas only by 2027. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.
