Putin tells Americans that he will seize Donbas by the end of the year – Zelenskyy

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has told Americans that he will completely seize Donbas by the end of this year. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with ABC News.

The Head of State explained that Putin had not conquered 70% of Donbas in three years, it was all manipulation. 11 years ago, Russians occupied Crimea and a third of Donbas.

"After the start of the full-scale war, in almost four years they captured about 30% of the Donetsk region, not the entire Donbas. And we now control another 30%. 32%, to be exact," Zelensky said.

He emphasized that Russia managed to capture 30% of Donetsk region during the full-scale war.

"It's a lot. But a million people. He lost a million people. This is the price. And this is almost four years," the President emphasized.

Zelensky also said that Putin claims to occupy Donbas within three to four months.

"And that's what he told the Americans, both the White House and the representative of the US President Donald Trump Steve Witkoff. He said that he would take Donbas in two or three, maximum four months, by the end of the year, he said he would take it," the president said.

According to Zelenskyy, Russians will not take Donbas in this time.

"The price is years. And a million people, and if not years, but rather, just more people. Not a million people, but two million. Three million corpses. This is the price of this," the head of state said.

• On August 12, 2025, Zelensky said that Defense Forces would not leave Donbas as part of the so-called "exchange of territories" that Trump had been talking about.
• On September 3, the president said that a powerful part of the Ukrainian defense line is concentrated in Donbas, and that Russia has not managed to occupy even 30% of one region in more than three years of full-scale invasion.