{"id":630783,"date":"2026-10-27T19:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/2026\/10\/630783\/putin-remains-intent-on-capturing-all-of-donbas-reuters\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T20:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:05:11","slug":"putin-remains-intent-on-capturing-all-of-donbas-reuters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/en\/2026\/10\/630783\/putin-remains-intent-on-capturing-all-of-donbas-reuters\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin remains intent on capturing all of Donbas \u2014 Reuters"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/strong> said during a phone call with the leaders of Finland<\/strong> and Norway<\/strong> that Moscow<\/strong> would not abandon its intention to seize all of Ukraine\u2019s Donbas<\/strong>. A source close to the Kremlin<\/strong> told Reuters<\/a><\/strong> about his response.<\/p>\n

The call took place on Tuesday, October 27<\/strong>. It was initiated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb<\/strong> and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re<\/strong>, who urged the Russian president to end the war against Ukraine<\/strong>. After hearing his position on Donbas<\/strong>, they stressed the need for a just peace, the source told the news agency.<\/p>\n

The Kremlin\u2019s<\/strong> official statement about the call also showed no readiness to make concessions. It said that a just and lasting peace would require the full and unconditional consideration of Russia\u2019s<\/strong> interests. At the same time, it blamed European Union<\/strong> and NATO<\/strong> countries for prolonging the fighting.<\/p>\n

Following the call, Alexander Stubb<\/strong> and Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re<\/strong> issued a joint statement. The Finnish president described the conversation as frank and substantive. He emphasized that its outcomes directly concern the security of Finland<\/strong>, Norway<\/strong> and all of Europe<\/strong>, and that ending the war requires direct negotiations.<\/p>\n

The Norwegian prime minister focused on the enormous human and material losses, saying their consequences would be felt by future generations. St\u00f8re<\/strong> also noted that they had stressed the importance of de-escalation during the dialogue.<\/p>\n

The leaders reaffirmed their countries\u2019 continued support for Ukraine<\/strong> and clarified the limits of their representation: they spoke with Putin<\/strong> on behalf of their own countries, not all of Europe<\/strong>. Their next contact after the call was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The initiative drew criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen<\/strong>. In a comment to Danish broadcaster DR<\/strong>, she said she saw no evidence that Russia<\/strong> was ready for peace. In her view, European countries should act together rather than hold such contacts separately.<\/p>\n

Reuters<\/strong> describes the diplomatic backdrop to the call in terms of changing relations between Western European countries and Moscow<\/strong>. Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022<\/strong>, their leaders have mostly avoided direct conversations with Putin<\/strong> and tightened sanctions against Russia<\/strong>. However, the news agency notes, this has also reduced their involvement in the diplomatic efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to Reuters<\/strong>, the last leader to speak with the Russian president by phone before this call was French President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong>, in July<\/strong>. A source told the news agency that the conversation was not publicly announced and produced no results.<\/p>\n

In October<\/strong>, Vladimir Putin<\/strong> also agreed to supply Russian diesel fuel to the United States<\/strong>, the article notes. Meanwhile, Donald Trump<\/strong> eased some sanctions against Russia<\/strong> and said it was time for Ukraine<\/strong> to change its president.<\/p>\n

Ukraine<\/strong> has also reported disruptions to intelligence sharing with the United States<\/strong> and to access to Starlink<\/strong> satellite internet, which Ukrainian troops use.<\/p>\n

Against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Washington<\/strong> and Kyiv<\/strong>, Stubb<\/strong> and St\u00f8re\u2019s<\/strong> call was intended to help them influence the negotiations, according to Reuters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We previously reported:<\/strong><\/p>\n