President Putin declared that Russia will take total control over Donbas by force if Ukrainian troops do not withdraw.

In a recent interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will take total control over the Donbas region of Ukraine by force if Ukrainian troops do not withdraw. This statement comes in the context of Russia sending tens of thousands of soldiers into Ukraine since February 2022, following the eight-year conflict between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army. Putin emphasized that, in the absence of a Ukrainian withdrawal, it will be necessary to liberate the territories by force of arms.

Ukraine, on the other hand, refuses to cede territories and believes that Russia should not be rewarded for its aggression. Currently, Russia controls approximately 19.2% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, and most of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia has also declared that the occupied Ukrainian regions are now part of Russia, which is rejected by the international community. Putin recently had discussions with American officials, suggesting that Russia is open to continuing negotiations regarding Ukraine.