Russian President Vladimir Putin wants any settlement to end the war to include giving Russia full control of the Donbas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands to cede the Donbas region, citing sovereignty concerns and the area's economic and strategic importance.

As Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to Washington, all eyes turn to Donbas, a contested region in Ukraine. Why? Vladimir Putin has demanded this area in exchange for peace in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Under the proposed Russian deal, Kyiv would fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in return for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the sources said.

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to urge Ukraine to surrender the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of negotiations over an end to the war.

Ukraine’s Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk, is at the heart of Moscow’s goals. An industrial powerhouse in the Soviet era, it also has rich farmland, important rivers and a coastline on the Sea of Azov.

President Trump is set to host a collection of European leaders as he meets with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy following his summit in Alaska with Russian President Putin. Former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor and Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling join Alex Witt to share their expectations for tomorrow’s meeting.

The White House says that Vladimir Putin told President Trump that he would meet with the man whose country Russia invaded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It comes as Trump is ruling out sending U.

PUTIN laid his cards on the table when he declared that he wants the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region in exchange for peace. The eastern zone, home to Ukraine’s “fortress