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Kiwi journalist Thomas Mutch joins us from Ukraine to take us through the latest on the frontlines, and behind the scenes.
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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Donbas: The object of Putin's desire and the crux of the war in Ukraine
By Tim Lister , CNN Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Photo: VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV / AFP Analysis: As negotiations over a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine intensify, much of the discussion has centred around a part of the country's east that has long been at the heart of Russia's goals. The Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk - collectively known as the Donbas - were an industrial powerhouse in the Soviet era, a place of coal mines and steel mills. But the Donbas region also has rich farmland, important rivers and a coastline on the Sea of Azov. Historically the Donbas was the most "Russian" part of Ukraine, with a significant minority of Russian speakers. On multiple trips to the area 10 years ago, it was clear there was little love for the distant government in Kyiv among some of its people. It was here that Putin began efforts to destabilize Ukraine in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea. Pro-Russian militia, some of them well-equipped with tanks, popped up across the region, quickly taking the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk from what was then an ill-prepared and poorly motivated Ukrainian military. For almost eight years the breakaway enclaves saw combat, at times fierce, between the Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, leaving more than 14,000 people dead, according to Ukrainian figures. At least 1.5 million Ukrainians have left the Donbas since 2014. More than three million are estimated to be living under Russian occupation. Moscow distributed hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to people in the separatist-controlled areas of the Donbas. As negotiations over a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine intensify, much of the discussion has centred around a part of the country's east that has long been at the heart of Russia's goals. Photo: CNN But Putin wanted more. On the eve of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, he said that the so-called civilized world "prefers to ignore it as if there were none of this horror, genocide that almost four million people are being subjected to" and recognized Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states. Later that year Moscow unilaterally - and illegally - annexed both after sham referenda, along with the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, despite only partially occupying them. For the Kremlin, there's a huge difference between withdrawing from occupied land (as the Russians did when they pulled back from much of northern Ukraine in 2022) and giving up areas formally absorbed into the motherland - especially for a leader like Putin who is fixated with a "greater Russia." Analysts say that at the current rate it would still take Russian forces several years to complete the occupation of what has been annexed. Equally, there is little chance Ukraine can recover much of what it has already lost: almost all of Luhansk and more than 70 percent of Donetsk. But Kyiv still holds the "fortress belt" of industrial cities, railways and roads that is a significant barrier to Putin's forces: places like Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give up the rest of Donetsk, territory many Ukrainian soldiers have given their lives to defend, would be political suicide. About three-quarters of Ukrainians object to giving up any land to Russia, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. To retreat from the rest of Donetsk would also leave the vast open plains of central Ukraine vulnerable to the next Russian offensive, as Zelensky has repeatedly pointed out, as well as being an unconstitutional surrender of Ukrainian land. For Zelensky's European allies, it would also transgress a key principle: that aggression cannot be rewarded with territory and that Ukrainian sovereignty must be protected. As it was in 2014, the Donbas remains the crucible of Putin's ambitions in Ukraine - and the greatest test for Europe as it tries to cling on to a rules-based international order. -CNN
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Trump hopes for meeting with Putin and Zelensky
world politics 12:08 pm today Donald Trump hopes there will be a chance for a trilateral meeting between himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a meeting with European leaders at the White House. Washington correspondent Simon Marks spoke to Guyon Espiner.
1News
5 hours ago
- 1News
Key takeaways from Trump's meeting with Zelensky, European leaders
During their second meeting in the Oval Office this year, President Donald Trump said the US would be willing to support European efforts to police any peace deal in Ukraine, while its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude and wore dressier clothes. And Vice President JD Vance kept his mouth shut. As Trump hosted Zelensky and top European leaders to energise months of stalled US-led efforts to halt Russia's 3-and-a-half-year-old war, the tone and style of the sit-down was far different than when Ukraine's president was hounded out of the White House in February. Following the talks, Trump said he would work to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US leader called Putin, who got the red carpet treatment at a summit in Alaska last Saturday with Trump, to discuss the extraordinary gathering of allies. Here are key takeaways from the meeting: ADVERTISEMENT Trump suggests the US could back security guarantees for Ukraine A central question for peace talks is how to prevent further Russian aggression in the future. (Source: Associated Press) Trump has ruled out allowing Ukraine to join NATO, which would extend the military alliance's protection to the besieged country. He did, however, express support for security guarantees for Ukraine — though details remain vague. European countries "want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we'll help them out with that," Trump said. That pleased Zelensky, who said the US was offering "such [a] strong signal and is ready for security guarantees". Zelensky jabs back at reporter who 'attacked' him over clothing choice - watch on TVNZ+ ADVERTISEMENT With Europeans looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement in Ukraine, Trump suggested that Putin would be open to accepting security guarantees. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that Moscow was open to accepting NATO-style protections for Ukraine. At the White House, European leaders praised that notion, and the larger meaning it would carry. "When we speak about security guarantees, we speak about the whole security of the European continent," French President Emmanuel Macron said. But it's unclear what Moscow would accept because Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected the idea of a NATO peacekeeping force in Ukraine. European leaders praise Trump but say tough work is still ahead The Europeans came to show a united front on Ukraine, and many used public comments to heap praise on Trump. That was striking given tensions over Trump's threats to impose steep tariffs and other issues. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called Trump "dear Donald" and said of fighting in Ukraine: "If we play this well, we could end it." ADVERTISEMENT European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said all the parties were working together on "a just and lasting peace". Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, left, and Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom greet each other, ahead of their bilateral meeting at the 6th European Political Community summit Friday May 16, 2025 in Tirana, Albania. (Source: Associated Press) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the meetings could lead to "a really important step forward today" and the outcome might be "a historic step actually to come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe". Offering a more measured tone was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said "the path is open now" to halting the fighting but next steps are "more complicated". "Let's try to put pressure on Russia," Merz said, adding that he would like to see a ceasefire come together. Trump was noncommittal, saying, "If we can do the ceasefire, great," but suggested it was far from a dealbreaker. He dropped his push for a ceasefire after Friday's summit, aligning with Putin's position that negotiations should focus on a long-term settlement instead. The good feelings extended to Zelensky and Trump. After Ukraine's leader praised the "very good conversation" with Trump, the US president responded, "Great remarks. I appreciated it." ADVERTISEMENT More formal attire — and a far different reception — for Zelensky The meeting with Trump in the Oval Office was dramatically different than six months ago, when Trump and Vance harangued Zelensky for not being thankful enough for US military support. There was a moment of laughter in the White House when the reporter who previously criticised the Ukrainian President's choice of attire complimented today's look. (Source: Associated Press) Trump even seemed to relish a reporter from a conservative outlet asking then why Zelensky wasn't wearing a suit at the White House. Ukraine's leader came prepared this time, wearing a black shirt and blazer. The same reporter told Zelensky, "You look fabulous," and Trump responded, "I said the same thing." Then Trump said to Zelensky: "That's the one that attacked you last time." The Ukrainian president said he remembered, then playfully needled his questioner. "You are in the same suit," Zelensky said as laughter rippled through the room. "I changed. You did not." ADVERTISEMENT Ukraine's president usually appears in a trademark hoodie or T-shirt — a show of solidarity with Ukrainian forces on the front lines. Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the US and European allies for supporting his country, and repeatedly thanked first lady Melania Trump for sending a letter to Putin about stopping the killing of children during the war. In the Oval Office, Vance gave no public comments. Next steps in the negotiations turn back to Putin Trump, who bragged on numerous occasions during the campaign that he could settle Russia's war in Ukraine in a day, said repeatedly Tuesday that it was far more complicated than he ever thought it would be. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a working meeting to discuss the results of the Russia-US summit in Alaska at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. (Source: Associated Press) But he also suggested — likely implausibly — that the fighting that has raged for years could wind down quickly. ADVERTISEMENT 'A week or two weeks, we'll know whether we're going to solve this, or if this horrible fighting is going to continue,' said Trump, even suggesting the issues yet to be hammered out weren't "overly complex". Still, much remains unresolved, including red lines that are incompatible — like whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine's army and whether the country will ultimately have lasting and meaningful security guarantees against further Russian aggression. Trump said after Zelensky and Putin meet, a key next step would be holding a meeting with all three of them. Though many European leaders oppose forgoing a possible ceasefire on the road to seeking lasting peace, they support that meeting in the meantime. Macron suggested that another summit could feature Trump, Zelensky, Putin and top European leaders. "The idea of trilateral meeting is very important, because this is the only way to fix it," the French president said.
