Nearly three years after Russia and Ukraine entered a direct military and aerial war, representatives from the two countries and the US sat in Abu Dhabi to work on a peace plan. The eastern Ukrainian region of the Donbas is one of the key matters at the trilateral talks.
As talks continue on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that Ukraine won't give up areas of the Donbas that it controls. Kyiv controls about 20 per cent of the region.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, after meeting with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday, said that Russia was unwilling to compromise on territorial goals, repeating that it would continue to pursue its goals “on the battlefield” until an agreement was reached, CNN reported. Moscow has long demanded that Kyiv give up control of Donbas.
What Is The Donbas?
Comprising two coal-rich regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the eastern region used to be Ukraine's industrial heartland. It is known for its fertile agricultural land and rich mineral deposits.
Since the invasion in 2022, Russian forces have occupied most of the Luhansk region and over 75 per cent of Donetsk, the BBC reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the remaining areas, including the "fortress belt" cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
The Donbas holds a significant Russian-speaking population. It was in this region that Putin's advances against Ukrainian territory started in 2014.
History Of Donbas In Recent Years
In 2014, Russia illegally annexed Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula. At the same time, Moscow started backing pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas, helping them take control of parts of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Russia has long stated that it had no soldiers on the ground in the Donbas, but United States, NATO and Ukrainian officials have alleged that the Russian government helped the separatists.
In February 2022, Russia stated that it would recognise the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as independent states, launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three days later.
As per the Institute for the Study of War, it could take Russian forces until August 2027 to take control of the rest of Donetsk if they maintained their current rate of advance, which is not a guarantee.
Why Losing The Donbas Matters For Ukraine
Kyiv is under mounting US pressure to reach a peace deal with Russia. The Donbas is not just an agricultural and industrial powerhouse for Ukraine; losing it could also leave the country more vulnerable to future attacks from Russia. Polls show little favour among Ukrainians for territorial concessions, Reuters reported.
It also leaves the country without industrial cities, railways and roads that comprise the backbone of Kyiv's defence and supply the frontline against Moscow.
What Has Ukraine Proposed?
Ukraine has offered to pull back from the area and establish a demilitarised or free economic zone policed by Kyiv, in exchange for security guarantees. The current line of contact would be policed by international forces.
Zelensky's offer would also require Moscow's troops to leave other parts of Ukraine where they maintain a limited presence, such as Dnipropetrovsk in the east, Kharkiv and Sumy region in the north, and Myokolaiv in the south, the BBC reported.
What Was Discussed At The Meeting?
On Friday, Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said that the meeting had mainly focused "on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process".
As of now, both sides are sticking to their territorial demands, making any compromise difficult.
