Russia is demanding control of about 6,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory as part of ongoing negotiations, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Speaking on the talks on Wednesday, September 10, Vance said the discussions have narrowed to a few core issues, with Russia pushing for territorial gains while Ukraine is seeking firm security guarantees.
“I think now we’re at a point where we’ve at least narrowed it to a couple of core issues. One issue is territorial. The Russians want about 6,000 or so square kilometers that they have not yet conquered through military force. That’s what the Russians want,” Vance said.
Russia Seeks 6,000 km of Ukrainian Land as Kyiv Demands Security Guarantees
On the other side, Ukraine is pressing for assurances—whether from Europe or other allies—that Moscow will not return in the future with fresh demands after any settlement is reached.
“The Ukrainians, on the flip side, they want a security guarantee, whether from the Europeans or somebody else, because they want confidence that if they cut a deal, the Russians aren’t going to come back in a few months or a few years asking for more,” he added.
The Donbas, an industrial region in eastern Ukraine, has been a primary battlefield in the current war.
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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it has come to control a majority – but not all of – the Donbas.
After its invasion, Russia held elections in four Ukrainian territories, which election specialists criticised as illegitimate. Russia then annexed the four territories.
Two of these were Donetsk and Luhansk, which together form the Donbas. Russia currently controls all of Luhansk and part of Donetsk, while Ukraine maintains control of areas around the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
The other territories annexed were Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, of which Russia controls about 75 percent.
Vladimir Putin wants any settlement to end the war to include full Russian control of the Donbas.
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One factor driving Russia’s interest in the region is that, despite some decline, it still possesses significant economic assets. The Donbas also has valuable mineral resources, and its farmland is considered some of the best in the world.
A second factor is the region’s strategic importance. The port of Mariupol provides access to the Black Sea, and as the longest-lasting battlefield in the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could also view control of the Donbas as a way to goad the West and create havoc.
For Ukrainians, this would be a bitter pill to swallow, as it would effectively reward Russia for launching a war of conquest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in mid-August: “We will not leave the Donbas. We cannot do that.”
Russian Glide Bomb Attack in Eastern Ukraine Days After Kyiv Drone Strikes Fuel Stations
This comes after a Russian glide bomb attack on a village near the front line in eastern Ukraine killed 21 civilians who were waiting to collect pension payments, Ukrainian officials said. The strike is the latest barrage from Moscow undermining any diplomatic momentum to end the war.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said 21 people were killed and another 21 wounded on Tuesday in the village of Yarova.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike in Yarova, which lies in a region that has recently witnessed some of the war’s fiercest fighting.
“A brutally savage Russian airstrike,” he said in a post on X. “Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. … There are no words.”
Ukrainian drones struck a fuel pumping station in Russia’s Vladimir Oblast overnight on September 7, the Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, announced.
The attack targeted a pumping station that feeds diesel into the Moscow Ring Oil Product Pipeline, which supplies fuel to the capital and surrounding regions.
According to Brovdi, drones operated by the 14th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces hit the Vtorovo station in the settlement of Penkino on Sept. 8. The community is located about 210 kilometers east of Moscow.
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