June 11, 2026
It has been pushing to take full control of the Donbas region since 2022
The broad consensus among the grouping has frayed since Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency in 2025
He says it is “unfair” that Trump publicly pressures Ukraine rather than Russia in peace talks
Zelensky says it is too early to draw conclusions from the first day of talks
Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender Donetsk territory blocks any peace deal
Kyiv is resisting demands to surrender the parts of Donbas still under Ukrainian control
The Russian president has stuck to his demand that Ukraine completely withdraw from the parts of the Donbas it still controls