Reuters: Putin hopes to seize the whole of Donbas by the end of the year

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin still intends to establish full control over the Donbas and believes that Russian troops will succeed in achieving this goal by the end of 2026. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters this.

According to the agency’s source, Putin remains committed to the goal of seizing the remaining territories of the Donbas. However, Reuters notes an important detail: the source made this comment before reports emerged of a visit to Moscow by US President Joe Biden’s special envoys Steve Whitcroft and Jared Kushner.

“There is no chance of reaching an agreement on the front line until Putin has secured the remaining part of the Donetsk region,” the source said.

According to the source, the Russian dictator is confident he can achieve this goal by the end of the year, based on information he receives from commanders on the front line.

At the same time, Western military analysts are far more sceptical about such a scenario. They believe that the slow pace of the Russian troops’ advance makes it unlikely that the entire remaining part of the Donetsk region will be captured by the end of the year.

Whitcroft and Kushner’s talks with Putin

Against the backdrop of these statements, a meeting took place in Moscow on 5 September between Putin and representatives of the US presidential administration. Special Envoy Steve Whitcott and Jared Kushner arrived in the Russian capital and held talks with the Russian leader, which lasted more than three hours.

However, as Reuters notes, there are as yet no signs of a breakthrough following the meeting. This is also borne out by comments from Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, who spoke to the Russian media about the content of the talks.

According to Ushakov, the American side presented Moscow with a number of proposals regarding possible ways out of the war. He also stated that Trump’s representatives intend to use Putin’s assessments and proposals during subsequent talks with the Ukrainian side.