"Is there any point in clinging to them?" Putin hinted at readiness to stop the war if Donbas is surrendered to him
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club in Istra near Moscow, stated that he would like to stop the war as soon as possible through peaceful negotiations, if Russia gains control over the entire Donetsk region.
"We would like to stop all this as soon as possible, with the help, moreover, of peaceful negotiations. One only needs to stop accusing Russia of not wanting these negotiations, and, proceeding from the realities on the ground, make responsible decisions – both Ukraine itself and its sponsors in the West. First of all, of course, today in Europe," Putin said.
He stated that, according to his data, Russia took control of 1301 square kilometers of territory in September alone. Putin claims that this is 2.5 times more than in previous months, and that the pace of the Russian troops' offensive is increasing.
According to Putin, Ukraine now controls only about 11% of the territory of the Donetsk region.
However, these figures do not coincide with estimates from other sources. According to the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState, Russia seized about 45 square kilometers of territory along the entire front line in September. Radio Svoboda reported at the end of August that about 18% of the Donetsk region's territory remained under Ukrainian control.
Putin also stated that at the highest Ukrainian level, it is allegedly considered possible to hold the remaining 11% of the Donetsk region's territory for another year and a half, while in Europe, according to him, they speak of two years. He claims that the loss of these territories will happen much sooner, given, as he said, the increasing pace of the Russian troops' advance.
In this regard, Putin posed the question of whether there is any point for Ukraine to continue holding these territories if, in his assessment, their loss is inevitable.
"If the loss of these territories is inevitable, is there any point in clinging to them, sacrificing people, their safety and lives?" Putin asked.
According to calculations by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), since February 2022, Putin has named deadlines for Russia's capture of the Donetsk region at least 15 times, the earliest being May 9, 2022. Now, ISW notes, the Russian Federation intends to capture Donbas by the end of 2026, but if the current pace of advance is maintained, it will not be able to do so before 2032.
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Украина защищает свою страну, свои территории, свою независимость, и в этом смысл, тут нет вопроса, но Путин... Вот где вопрос.