Will Kyiv Act Before It’s Too Late? Moscow Urges Immediate Move on Donbass After Putin-Trump Breakthrough Call
In a striking statement following a high-stakes phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald, hinted, that Moscow is pressing Kyiv to act swiftly on the fate of Donbass, before the window for diplomacy slams shut.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov declared today that it’s “logical” for the Ukrainian leadership to reach a decision on Donbass “without delay,” citing the rapidly shifting dynamics on the front lines. His remarks came hours after Putin and Trump wrapped up what the American side described as a “good and very productive” conversation— their ninth since early 2025 and first in over two months.
The nearly two-hour dialogue has sent ripples through global political circles, with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a tight box, between having to decide the way forward for his nation or choose to follow the path of the EU and coalition of the Willing. A meeting now shadowed by Moscow’s intensified push for a Donbass settlement.
According to Ukrainian media outlet Focus, Russia’s core demand remains uncompromising: full Ukrainian withdrawal from the entire Donbass region, including areas still under Kyiv’s control.
Adding fuel to the fire, Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of the Russian president and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, took to social media to claim that “warmongers are in complete panic” after the Putin-Trump call—suggesting that backchannel diplomacy may be gaining momentum just as battlefield realities grow more dire.
With time running out and pressure mounting, the question now isn’t just what Kyiv will decide—but whether it will decide in time.
