In his first talks with European leaders in a year, Putin again demanded that Ukraine hand over all of the Donbas. The first attempt in more than a year by European leaders to renew negotiations with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine did not lead to a change in the Kremlin's position on the central territorial issue. During an hour and a half conversation with Finnish President Alexander Staab and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stora, Putin said he would not back down from the demand for the complete surrender of Donbass to Russian control, a source close to the Kremlin told Reuters. In the fifth year of the war, the Russian military still controls only about 80% of the Donetsk region, which Putin annexed within his administrative borders in September 2022. At the same time, the pace of the Russian attack on the belt of fortified cities that remain under the control of the armed forces of Ukraine is decreasing: according to estimates by the American Institute for War Research, this year they have dropped to 250 square meters per day. Out of less than ten months of 2026, the Russian military lost ground in four. Russian forces ended September and October with net territorial losses of 241 square kilometers. Stubbs and West told Putin during the call that a "just" peace was needed in Ukraine, a source told Reuters. The last European leader to try to talk to the Russian president was Emmanuel Macron. He called Putin in July 2025, and the negotiations ended in nothing, the agency's interlocutor added. More details.

In his first talks with European leaders in a year, Putin again demanded that Ukraine hand over all of the Donbas. The first attempt in more than a year by European leaders to renew negotiations with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine did not lead to a change in the Kremlin's position on the central territorial issue. During an hour and a half conversation with Finnish President Alexander Staab and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stora, Putin said he would not back down from the demand for the complete surrender of Donbass to Russian control, a source close to the Kremlin told Reuters. In the fifth year of the war, the Russian military still controls only about 80% of the Donetsk region, which Putin annexed within his administrative borders in September 2022. At the same time, the pace of the Russian attack on the belt of fortified cities that remain under the control of the armed forces of Ukraine is decreasing: according to estimates by the American Institute for War Research, this year they have dropped to 250 square meters per day. Out of less than ten months of 2026, the Russian military lost ground in four. Russian forces ended September and October with net territorial losses of 241 square kilometers. Stubbs and West told Putin during the call that a "just" peace was needed in Ukraine, a source told Reuters. The last European leader to try to talk to the Russian president was Emmanuel Macron. He called Putin in July 2025, and the negotiations ended in nothing, the agency's interlocutor added. More details.