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

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Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: DFID - UK Department for International Development. Cropped · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Putin believes Russian forces can seize the rest of Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2026 and won't agree to a front-line deal until then, a person close to the Kremlin told Reuters, speaking ahead of Moscow talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Western military analysts consider the timeline unlikely given how slowly Russian advances have been going. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected surrendering Donbas territory, calling it capitulation.

After the more than three-hour meeting, the Kremlin described the atmosphere as one of trust, and aide Yuri Ushakov said the envoys promised to relay Putin's views in upcoming talks in Kyiv, their first visit there. Bloomberg reported the repeated envoy trips have produced no breakthrough, with Moscow's demands hardening as it believes it holds a military advantage.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A man who has been grinding forward for years now promises to finish the job by December, and somehow that always sounds like the contractor who swore your porch would be done by spring. The dates keep coming, the map keeps moving slower than the dates do.

Source: Read the original at NV → Scored: Double Polka · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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