Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia will "in any case" seize Donbas and other territories of Ukraine, including the southern and eastern regions. In his statement, he clarified that Moscow had suggested Ukraine "withdraw its troops from Donbas and not start military actions," but "Kyiv chose war."
Putin stated: "Russia will liberate Donbas and Novorossiya in any case—by military or other means." This term, "Novorossiya," is used by the Russian leader to refer to the southeastern regions of Ukraine.
It is worth noting that his comments came against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations regarding the U.S. peace plan. In November, the U.S. presented a new variant of the peace process; however, the parties have yet to reach a compromise on key points, including territorial issues.
Negotiations and the U.S. position
In efforts to achieve peace, U.S. and Ukrainian delegations held consultations on November 23 and 30 to refine the peace document, which initially contained 28 points. U.S. Special Representative Steve Whitkoff and U.S. President's son-in-law Jared Kushner also visited Moscow to discuss the revised document with Putin, but so far no concrete progress has been recorded.
Further comments from Kremlin representatives indicate that a compromise is under discussion. Ushakov noted that the American delegation had delivered four more documents regarding the resolution of the war.
Given Putin's current statements, concerns are growing within the international community regarding Russia's further actions in Ukraine and the potential consequences for security in the region.
