Latest news with #ceasefire deal
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Donbas: Why Russia is desperate to capture eastern Ukraine's industrial heartland
The future of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east is likely to play a key role in talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as they prepare to meet in Alaska on Friday. The Russian leader has demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any any ceasefire deal, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president has said that Putin wants the remaining 30 per cent of the eastern region, which has seen some of the fiercest battles in the three-and-a-half year long war. But losing Donetsk would give Russia control of almost all of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland which has been long coveted by Putin. Earlier this week, Zelensky vowed Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned that Putin could use it as a spring board for a future invasion. As Kyiv fights to keep Donbas from Trump's so-called 'land swap' deal, here's all you need to know about the region. Where is the Donbas? Far along Ukraine's eastern border, Donbas is a portmanteau name from 'Donets Basin', a further abbreviation of 'Donets Coal Basin', in reference to the coal basin along the Donets Ridge and river. Donbas stretches across the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, two large regions of Ukraine that have formed a significant part of the frontline in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. How long has it been occupied? The Donbas has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014. At around the same time, Putin decided to annexe Crimea, a peninsula which lies just off the south of Ukraine towards the Black Sea. Russian-backed separatists broke away from the Ukrainian government to proclaim themselves independent 'people's republics' and, as a result, Moscow captured over a third of Ukraine's eastern territory. Russia classes the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as subjects of the Russian Federation. Ukraine says these territories are part of Ukraine and they are not recognised by the United Nations. Now, it is believed around 88 per cent of the Donbas region is under Russian control. This includes almost all of the Luhansk region and 75 per cent of the Donetsk region, according to Reuters. Approximately 6,600 square km is still controlled by Ukraine, but Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities such as Pokrovsk. A key strategic region in the war The hyper-industrialised Donbas economy is dominated by coal mining and metallurgy. The region has one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine, even when extraction of coal decreased elsewhere. When conflict broke out in the area in 2014, Ukraine's coal mining enterprises saw a 22.4 per cent decline in the production of raw coal from 2013, as reported by Kyiv Post, showing the country's reliance on Donbas as an energy power house. But as well as its economic significance, Donbas has been described as a 'fortress belt' by The Institute for the Study of War in terms of its strategic value in the war. Donetsk forms the main fortified defensive line across the frontline, stretching through Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka. Elina Beketova, a fellow for CEPA, said: 'Ukraine is holding a key defensive line across Donetsk,' describing a 'fortified zone build up over years because the war began 11 years ago.' She added that Russia hasn't been able to break through since 2014 and they have lost many people there. The entire region is heavily mined and Ukrainian troops have been preparing it for years. 'It's not just trenches, it's a deep, layered defence with bunkers, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and industrial areas built into the terrain. The area includes dominant heights, rivers, and urban zones that make it extremely hard to capture.' Ms Beketova said losing this fortified line would have 'catastrophic consequences' as it holds back Russia's advancement into central and western parts of Ukraine. 'The front would shift approximately 80km west, and Russia would gain open ground - flat steppe with no natural barriers - giving them direct paths toward Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipro.' What Zelensky has said about the Donbas Zelensky has repeatedly rejected calls from Russia to give up the Donbas. In response to Putin's request that Ukraine withdraws from eastern Donetsk, he vowed Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned Putin's troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion. "We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part - our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,' he said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Moscow Warns of 'Titanic Efforts' to Disrupt Putin-Trump Meeting
Certain countries will make "titanic efforts" to disrupt the meeting US President Donald Trump announced on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin for August 15, Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday. Trump had said earlier that Russia and Ukraine were close to a ceasefire deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict. The contents of the deal have yet to be announced, but it could require Ukraine to surrender significant territory - an outcome many European nations oppose. Dmitriev accused unnamed countries of seeking to prolong the war, Reuters said. "Undoubtedly, a number of countries interested in continuing the conflict will make titanic efforts to disrupt the planned meeting between President Putin and President Trump," he said in a post in his Telegram account, specifying that by efforts he meant "provocations and disinformation". Dmitriev did not specify which countries he was referring to or what kind of "provocations" they might undertake. The Kremlin earlier confirmed the summit. The two leaders will "focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis," Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said, adding: "This will evidently be a challenging process, but we will engage in it actively and energetically."
The National
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
EU says Israel has agreed to 'expand' Gaza aid access
The European Union on Thursday struck a deal with Israel to increase the amount of aid entering Gaza. It should lead to more lorries delivering food and the opening of additional border crossing points, the bloc's foreign affairs chief said. "Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed." Gaza's two million residents are facing dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited the entry of aid during its devastating war with Hamas. Ms Kallas said the measures agreed on by Israel"are or will be implemented in the coming days, with the common understanding that aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population". She said the steps included a "substantial increase of daily trucks for food and non-food items" driving into Gaza, the opening of several more crossing points in northern and southern areas, and the reopening of routes from Jordan and Egypt. "The EU stands ready to co-ordinate with all relevant humanitarian stakeholders, UN agencies and NGOs on the ground, to ensure swift implementation of those urgent steps," she said. The move comes as Israel and Hamas continue to haggle over the details of a US-backed ceasefire deal to halt the war. The EU has been considering taking measures against Israel after finding it in breach of a co-operation deal between the two sides because of its actions in Gaza. But the 27-nation bloc has struggled to find consensus on what steps to take, as it is divided between staunch supporters of Israel and countries backing the Palestinians. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 57,680 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.
