The Donbas Why the region is a faultline in talks

At last week's Alaska summit, Vladimir Putin made full control of the Donbas - Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east - a central condition for ending the war.

- Pjotr Sauer

According to sources, the Russian leader demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk, the two regions that make up the Donbas, in exchange for a freeze along the rest of the frontline.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has rejected giving up any territory under Kyiv's control, making the Donbas one of the defining faultlines of the talks.

The idea is deeply unpopular at home: about 75% of Ukrainians oppose formally ceding any land to Russia, according to polling by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Putin's drive to dominate the region dates back to 2014, when Moscow armed and financed separatist proxies and sent covert troops across the border.

That escalated into the full-scale invasion of 2022.

Today, Russia holds about 18,000 sq miles - about 88% - of the Donbas, including the entirety of Luhansk and about three-quarters of Donetsk.

Where is the Donbas and why does Putin want it?

Short for Donets Basin, the Donbas is an industrial heartland in eastern Ukraine, rich in coal and heavy industry.