Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands to cede the Donbas region, citing sovereignty concerns and the area's economic and strategic importance.

Ukraine’s Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk, is at the heart of Moscow’s goals. An industrial powerhouse in the Soviet era, it also has rich farmland, important rivers and a coastline on the Sea of Azov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants any settlement to end the war to include giving Russia full control of the Donbas

"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month.

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to urge Ukraine to surrender the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of negotiations over an end to the war.

The White House says that Vladimir Putin told President Trump that he would meet with the man whose country Russia invaded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It comes as Trump is ruling out sending U.

The Donbas has long been the most Russian-leaning region of Ukraine, home to a significant Russian-speaking population. Even a decade ago, many residents expressed strong resentment toward the distant government in Kyiv.

PUTIN laid his cards on the table when he declared that he wants the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region in exchange for peace. The eastern zone, home to Ukraine’s “fortress