Donbas Lies at the Center of Putin's Proposal for Ukraine Backed by Trump

Traditionally Russian-speaking area the heart of so-called root causes of Kremlin's war

- Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ksenia Churmanova and Nataliya Vasilyeva

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The proposal to end the war in Ukraine that emerged from the summit in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia centers on persuading Ukraine to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in the east.

The traditionally Russian-speaking area has been at the heart of what Mr. Putin calls the "root causes" of the war, and taking it over is near the top of his list of territorial and political demands.

He has tried to control the Donbas since 2014, first through separatist proxies and then by invading and annexing the region in 2022. Since the full-scale invasion, the Donbas has been the site of the war's deadliest battles, and is the main focus of Russia's summer offensive.

The Kremlin's forces and its separatist allies have conquered about 87 percent of the Donbas since 2014, according to data from Deep State, a Ukrainian group that tracks battlefield developments. Russian forces are now chipping away at the 6,734 sq km of the region that remain in Ukrainian hands with very heavy losses.

Without a ceasefire, the battle for the Donbas is almost certain to stretch into next year and cost tens of thousands of lives, military analysts say.

The region's fate could shape the outcome of the war.

WHAT IS PUTIN OFFERING?

The substance of a peace deal discussed by Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15 remains murky. The few known details come from the US President's telling of the discussion in a later call to European officials.

Mr. Putin is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas, according to two senior European officials who were briefed on the call. In return, he is offering to freeze the conflict in the rest of Ukraine along the current front lines and to provide a written promise not to attack again, according to the senior European officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.