Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force or Ukraine's troops will withdraw

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete December 4, 2025 at 11:20 PM

AI Summary

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President Putin stated that Russia will seize the Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian troops withdraw, rejecting compromise. He made the statement to India Today ahead of a state visit to Delhi. This comes after Donald Trump said his negotiators, including envoy Steve Witkoff, believed Putin wanted to end the war after talks in Moscow. Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Ukraine's team in Florida. The US peace plan, which proposes handing over Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donbas to Russia, was discussed, but Putin said there were disagreements, particularly regarding seized territory and security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of stalling ceasefire agreements and seeking to seize more territory, while insisting on security guarantees for Ukraine in any deal.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

India 50% Donald Trump ×370% Volodymyr Zelensky ×280% Donbas ×4100% Russia ×5100% Vladimir Putin ×9100% Ukraine ×6100%

Keywords

russia ukraine war 100% donbas region 90% peace plan 80% territorial control 70% negotiations 70% security guarantees 60% seize territory 50% withdraw troops 50% ceasefire 50%