The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns that handing over the entire Donetsk region to Russia would create a strategic advantage for Moscow and increase the risk of new offensives against Ukraine.
Source: Gazeta.UA
The analysts’ response follows a report by The Washington Post, which stated that during a conversation with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin allegedly demanded that Ukraine surrender all of Donbas in exchange for partial zones in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
ISW experts note that it remains unclear whether this refers to already occupied territories or those still under Ukrainian control but illegally annexed by the Kremlin. The institute also recalls that Putin made similar demands back in August 2025.
The report emphasizes that the Donetsk region is of critical importance — it is an industrial and defense hub with a strong line of fortress cities: Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, which have been key to Ukraine’s defense since 2014.
According to ISW, such a concession would allow Russia to avoid prolonged fighting, gain advantageous positions for further attacks on the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, southern Kharkiv region, or Zaporizhzhia direction, and increase risks for Ukrainian defenses near the Oskil River and Izium.
Analysts stress that even if concessions were made to the Kremlin, there would be no guarantees of ending the war — on the contrary, it would only strengthen Moscow’s position for a new wave of aggression.
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