Putin Declares Intent for Full Donbas Control, Ukraine Firmly Rejects Ultimatum
MOSCOW, Russia – December 4, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark declaration, asserting that Russia will seize complete control of Ukraine's Donbas region, either through military force or by compelling Ukrainian forces to withdraw. This ultimatum, delivered in an interview ahead of a planned visit to New Delhi, has been unequivocally rejected by Kyiv.
The roots of the current conflict trace back to February 2022, when Putin ordered a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This came after eight years of intense fighting in Donbas between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops, a region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin explicitly stated, "Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories."
Ukraine's Defiance and Occupied Territories
Ukraine, however, remains resolute, refusing to surrender territory that Moscow has failed to secure militarily. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has consistently argued against rewarding Russia for initiating the war.
Currently, Russia occupies approximately 19.2% of Ukrainian territory. This includes Crimea, annexed in 2014, the entirety of Luhansk, over 80% of Donetsk, roughly 75% of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and smaller portions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk. Despite this, about 5,000 square kilometers of Donetsk still remain under Ukrainian jurisdiction.
International Stance and Diplomatic Engagements
During ongoing discussions with the United States regarding a potential peace framework, Russia has repeatedly insisted on full control over Donbas. Furthermore, Moscow seeks informal U.S. recognition of its territorial claims. In 2022, Russia controversially declared the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as its own, following referenda widely dismissed as illegitimate by Western nations and Kyiv. The vast majority of international powers continue to recognize these regions, including Crimea, as integral parts of Ukraine.
In a recent diplomatic engagement, Putin met with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. He indicated that Russia had accepted some U.S. proposals concerning Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of continuing talks. Russian state media, RIA, quoted Putin as describing the meeting as "very useful," building upon proposals he and former President Donald Trump had previously discussed in Alaska.