By Tony O’Reilly-
In a stark reiteration of longstanding territorial demands, the Kremlin has repeated that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region as a precondition for ending the war, even as Ukraine, the United States, and Russia prepare for first‑of‑its‑kind trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi this week.
Russia’s hardline territorial stance demanding that Kyiv pull back from areas Ukrainian forces still control in Donetsk and Luhansk remains one of the most contentious issues in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that began with Russia’s full‑scale invasion in February 2022.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov underscored Moscow’s position on Friday, saying bluntly that Ukrainian troops must leave the Donbas before any peace settlement can be seriously considered. “Russia’s position is well known on the fact that Ukraine, Ukrainian armed forces, have to leave the territory of the Donbas,” he told reporters, describing the withdrawal as “a very important condition” for ending hostilities.
That stance is at odds with Kyiv’s firm resistance to ceding territory it still controls. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions, arguing that relinquishing Donbas areas would weaken Ukraine’s defense and potentially empower further Russian aggression.
The talks in Abu Dhabi scheduled for 23–24 January 2026 mark the first time representatives from Ukraine, the United States and Russia have met in this format since the full‑scale war began. Washington is pushing for progress toward a peace framework, but territorial issues remain unresolved, with Donbas at the center of the dispute.
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Russia’s demand for Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas is more than a symbolic headline it reflects the strategic and political weight attached to the region. Donbas, composed mainly of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, has been an epicenter of conflict since 2014, when Moscow first backed separatist forces there before launching the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Today, the region remains divided. Russian forces control a significant portion of Luhansk and much of Donetsk, while Kyiv still retains control over key cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk territory Moscow now claims should be handed over in exchange for ending the war.
According to analysts, Russia’s insistence on a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas is part of a broader “maximalist” negotiating strategy, one designed to transform battlefield gains into legally recognised territorial status. This includes demanding control over additional regions and insisting that any ceasefire somehow codify Moscow’s territorial gains.
President Zelenskyy has made it clear that Ukraine cannot accept surrendering territory it still controls as a peace price. Speaking from the Davos World Economic Forum, he reiterated that while peace proposals are nearly finalised, the territorial dispute remains unresolved, with Kyiv refusing to give up the contested eastern Donbas areas.
The statistics surrounding Russian advances since 2022 highlight how entrenched and complex the conflict has become. Russia currently occupies roughly 20 % of Ukraine, encompassing not only a large part of Donbas but also Crimea and other annexed territories claimed by Moscow under international law that is not recognised by Kyiv or most of the world.
Despite substantial international sanctions and military support for Ukraine from Western allies, fighting continues on multiple fronts. Ukrainian forces have been engaged in defensive operations throughout Donetsk and Luhansk, and the region’s industrial landscape once a key economic hub has been devastated by years of war.
The territorial disagreement over Donbas also reflects deep political fault lines in global diplomacy. Russia asserts that a peace deal must acknowledge its territorial “gains,” framing withdrawal as a safety measure for its own strategic interests.
In contrast, Ukraine’s government and public opinion remain firmly opposed to ceding any further land, fearing that compromise could embolden future aggression.
One recent KIIS poll of Ukrainian public opinion found that 74 % of Ukrainians believe their country can achieve victory with stronger sanctions against Russia and sufficient international support, and 76 % support continued resistance even if U.S. backing wanes. This sentiment underscores the domestic pressure Kyiv faces to uphold sovereignty over contested regions like Donbas.
Diplomatic High Stakes Ahead
The diplomacy unfolding in Abu Dhabi this week comes after a series of high‑level engagements between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington. In the weeks leading up to the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin held late‑night discussions with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, focusing on the prospects of a peace settlement and emphasising that territorial negotiations are non‑negotiable.
At the same time, the United States has signalled its intent to play a leading role in brokering peace. According to press reports, Washington has drafted a 28‑point peace plan that includes possibilities such as limiting the size of the Ukrainian army, renouncing NATO ambitions, and considering some form of Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Donbas all demands Kyiv has strongly opposed.
The Kremlin has maintained that resolving the territorial dispute under what it calls the “Anchorage formula” a set of conditions agreed upon in prior negotiations is essential for any durable settlement. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told Interfax that without resolving those territorial questions, there is “no expectation of a lasting peace.”
However, many analysts warn that Russia’s position is unlikely to be accepted by Ukraine or the broader international community.
Ukraine’s leadership has repeatedly stated that any territorial concessions must be decided by Ukrainians themselves through democratic processes such as referendums or constitutional mechanisms and never in a unilateral retreat enforced by Moscow.
The United States, for its part, has emphasised a balanced approach supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty while pushing for a negotiated settlement that could end the war. President Donald Trump has said peace proposals are close to being finalised, but acknowledged that territory remains the biggest sticking point in negotiations.
Even as diplomats meet, the war on the ground continues. Russian air and ground assaults persist in the Donbas region, and both sides have suffered significant casualties.
Eastern Ukraine has seen some of the fiercest fighting since 2022, and its towns and cities bear the scars of prolonged warfare a stark reminder that negotiations are taking place amid ongoing conflict, not after it has ceased.
The Kremlin’s repeated demand for Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas as a prerequisite for peace highlights the profound challenges facing diplomacy in 2026.
On paper, trilateral talks represent a breakthrough the first time in nearly four years that Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are engaging simultaneously in direct negotiations but the territorial question remains a fundamental obstacle.
While talks in Abu Dhabi unfold, global attention will be on whether these diplomatic efforts can bridge the gap between entrenched territorial demands and the realities of war that have defined Ukraine’s recent history. Whether peace can be achieved without territorial concessions and whether Russia will soften its stance remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in the current phase of the conflict.
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