Putin’s Generals Promise Full Donbas Capture by Fall as Peace Talks Stall

Russian military leadership has reportedly convinced Russian leader Vladimir Putin that Moscow can fully occupy Donbas by autumn, after which the Kremlin intends to “raise the price” of any future ceasefire negotiations, according to a report published by the Financial Times on May 13.

Citing sources who have spoken directly with Putin, as well as assessments from Ukrainian intelligence, the report says the Kremlin leader has become even more determined to seize the entire Donbas region, despite previously appearing open to freezing the war along the current front line.

According to the report, Russian officials believe that if Moscow succeeds in capturing the remaining parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Kremlin could then demand even broader concessions from Ukraine.

Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, reportedly warned that Russian success in Donbas could trigger new territorial demands, including full control over Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, parts of which remain under Ukrainian control.

One source cited by the Financial Times said he repeatedly advised Putin to stop the war along the current front line, but the Russian leader rejected any compromise proposals each time.

The report also claims that Moscow’s ambitions extend far beyond Donbas. Sources familiar with Kremlin thinking reportedly said Russia still views control over major Ukrainian cities—including Dnipro, Kyiv, and Odesa—as a long-term objective.

“One of the original goals was taking Kyiv, and that objective has supposedly not disappeared,” one source told the newspaper.

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War in Ukraine

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The report further states that both Ukraine and Russia remain deeply skeptical about the prospects for meaningful peace negotiations mediated by the United States, even after tensions in the Middle East eventually subside.

According to the Financial Times, Ukraine concluded after the February negotiation round that talks had effectively reached a dead end and has grown frustrated with Washington’s inability to apply stronger pressure on Moscow.

Russia continues to insist that one of the key conditions for a ceasefire is the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region, while Ukraine maintains that any truce should follow the current line of contact.

Earlier, reports emerged that Russian forces failed to secure any significant operational breakthroughs across the front over the past year, while Ukrainian forces achieved their most notable battlefield gains since the Kursk operation in August 2024.

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