Russian President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed that Moscow intends to seize full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region “by military or other means,” restating a core Kremlin objective as Ukrainian officials prepare for renewed peace talks with the United States.
Putin arrived in New Delhi—where he was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—shortly after meeting a U.S. delegation in Moscow led by special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are travelling to the United States for further discussions on a potential framework to end the ongoing war, according to a source familiar with the process.
In an interview with *India Today*, Putin declared that Russia would “liberate Donbas and Novorossiya in any case,” stressing that Moscow’s idea of victory remains tied to taking and holding these territories.
When asked what victory would mean, he replied: “We will finish it when we achieve the goals set at the beginning of the special military operation, when we free these territories.”
Russia continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish areas in the Donbas region—territories Moscow claims to have annexed but does not entirely control. Putin also revived the historical term “Novorossiya,” once used during the Russian Empire and referenced during the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Despite Putin’s insistence, analysts say Russia’s territorial advances remain slow. A recent assessment by the Institute for the Study of War indicated that, at the current rate, Russian forces would not fully capture the Donetsk region until 2027.
Following his meeting with Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin said the discussions were lengthy and detailed but added that Russia disagreed with parts of the U.S. proposal. He repeated Moscow’s demand for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the Donbas and cease military operations.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the talks as “very good,” while noting that more cooperation would be needed before any real breakthrough.
Both Washington and Moscow have remained vague about concrete progress after a 28-point U.S. peace plan was leaked last month. Several details in the plan were viewed as favourable to Russia and were previously rejected by Ukraine and several European governments.
Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, confirmed that territorial issues were raised, calling them essential to any settlement. He said certain parts of the American proposal were “more or less acceptable,” while others were not.
Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov are travelling to Miami to meet U.S. officials and review what emerged from the Moscow talks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said their objective is to gather “full information” on Russia’s latest stance and determine “what other reasons Putin found to prolong the war.”
The upcoming session follows another high-level meeting earlier in the week, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “productive,” noting that “additional progress” had been made.
