Overview

• The New York Post, citing a source briefed on a meeting with President Trump, reports that Vladimir Putin conditioned a cease-fire on Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas, a claim not independently verified.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly ruled out surrendering the region, saying, "We will not leave the Donbas."
• Russia controls all of Luhansk and parts of Donetsk, while Ukraine holds areas around Sloviansk and Kramatorsk; the Post estimates Russian occupation at about 70% of Donetsk.
• Analysts say the Donbas offers industrial capacity, mineral resources, fertile farmland and Sea of Azov access via Mariupol, along with central symbolic value in the Kremlin’s narrative.
• Military experts warn a territorial concession would dismantle a key "fortress belt" of Ukrainian defenses and could set conditions for future Russian offensives, with ISW’s George Barros calling it a "foolish proposition."