The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that Russia is incapable of occupying the remaining part of the Donetsk region, which is under Ukrainian control, by the end of 2025. He made this announcement in an interview with the American television channel ABC. According to Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed through intermediaries to the White House and personally to U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steven Witkoff, that he intended to capture Donbas within two to three months, but no later than the end of the current year.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Statements by the Ukrainian President regarding Russia’s plans
Zelensky emphasized that he cannot disclose the source of this information, but he is convinced that within the specified timeframe, Russia will not be able to occupy the entire territory of Donbas. He also stressed that even in the worst-case scenario, the capture of Donbas by the Russians could take years and would require enormous human losses.
“And if it happens faster, then it will just mean more people, not a million people, but two, three million corpses. That is the price of this.”
The President also explained that by Donbas, he means the part of the Donetsk region that currently remains under Ukrainian control, which constitutes approximately 30% of the total area of the region. At the same time, Putin has not publicly announced plans for the Kremlin to fully occupy Donbas by the end of 2025. However, Western media report that during recent negotiations, including those involving Witkoff and Donald Trump, Russia requested the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region as a condition for starting peace dialogue.
The situation at the front and Kyiv’s position
Fierce battles continue in Donetsk. The Russian attempt to advance on the city of Pokrovsk has effectively been halted, while in the northern part of the region, Russian troops are advancing towards Lyman. Active combat operations are also being recorded south of Pokrovsk, partially moving into the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly emphasized their readiness for a ceasefire along the current front line, but they categorically refuse to withdraw troops from the territories controlled by Kyiv.
In the same interview, Zelensky criticized the proposal to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia. He noted that de facto such a zone already exists: at a distance of 10–20 kilometers from the front line, any equipment is destroyed by drones from both sides.