ISW says Russia lacks the means to capture the fortress belt in Donetsk Oblast, so it wants Ukraine to abandon it.
From: Euromaiden Press BY YURI ZORIA
Kremlin officials are reportedly demanding that Ukraine surrender the Ukrainian “fortress belt” in Donetsk Oblast before any ceasefire, a move the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says is deliberately designed to be unacceptable. The think tank assessed that Moscow “lacks the means to capture” the fortified cities and instead wants Kyiv to abandon them “in exchange for nothing.”
This comes after US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire, which ended up in nothing. Instead of imposing new sanctions or any tariffs on Russia, Trump announced plans to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin on American soil. Meanwhile, Moscow is reportedly demanding that Ukraine cede the remainder of Donetsk Oblast for a ceasefire, offering no guarantees in return.
Putin’s demands target Ukraine’s strongest defense line
Bloomberg reported on 8 August that Vladimir Putin’s proposal would require Ukraine to withdraw from Ukrainian-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, along with Crimea, before any negotiations. The plan makes no mention of Russian withdrawal from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant or from positions in Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts.
Voice of Ukraine 
One response to “8/10/2025 — ISW: Give up your fortress belt shield, take nothing in return—Putin’s ceasefire pitch to Ukraine”
Zelensky needs to be in that meeting. I think Trump forgot the war is between Russia and Ukraine, not Russia and the U.S.
Praying for wisdom, reason, empathy, and fortitude – the fruits of which being peace. God is not intimidated by His creation. He can do anything – nothing is too big for Him.
Phil 1:28 “And in nothing be ye afraid of your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.”
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