In brief: Russian President Vladimir Putin remains willing to end the war against Ukraine only on his own terms and entered Saturday’s talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner convinced Russian forces will capture the entire Donbas by late 2026, according to Reuters and Bloomberg. A source close to the Kremlin ruled out any frontline compromise until the rest of Donetsk is seized, as Moscow hardens its demands amid perceived military momentum. Western analysts view this timeline as improbable, while Kyiv categorically rejects territorial concessions as capitulation.
by Kyiv Post | Sept. 6, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin entered Saturday’s Kremlin negotiations with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner determined to capture additional Ukrainian territory, confident that Russian forces can seize the entirety of the Donbas by the end of 2026.
“There is zero chance of reaching an agreement on the frontline until Putin completes the capture of the rest of the Donetsk region,” a source close to the Kremlin told Reuters, noting that Putin’s confidence stems from optimistic battlefield reports submitted by his commanders.
Western military analysts, however, view such an objective as highly improbable given the protracted and grinding pace of Russian advances. Kyiv has repeatedly and categorically rejected territorial concessions, dismissing demands to surrender the Donbas as equivalent to capitulation.
Bloomberg reported that the envoys’ latest visit yielded no indications of Moscow softening its core war objectives in Ukraine.
Sources close to the Russian leadership indicated that Putin remains willing to end the war only on Russia’s terms, with the Kremlin hardening its demands amid a belief that it holds a decisive military advantage.
The sequence and timing of the diplomatic initiative also provoked scrutiny among Western officials and analysts.
EU Ambassador to the US Jovita Neliupšienė questioned the envoys’ decision to visit Moscow before holding consultations in Kyiv.
“Diplomacy really works, and we should first of all try to talk to those who are our allies,” Neliupšienė said, emphasizing that Moscow has not abandoned its original war aims and that Europe’s primary priority remains arming Ukraine for self-defense.
In contrast, Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, characterized the US mission as timely, warning that without active diplomatic mediation, the conflict risks rapid escalation as both sides continue to raise the stakes.
Kremlin talks and Treasury involvement
The assessments follow three hours and 10 minutes of formal discussions and a working dinner at the Kremlin on Saturday evening, Sept. 5.
Following the meeting, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov claimed that the American delegation promised to factor Putin’s assessments of the conflict into their upcoming talks in Kyiv.
Russian officials characterized the session as “meaningful,” “frank,” and conducted in an atmosphere of mutual trust, while noting that discussions also addressed potential large-scale US-Russian commercial projects.
The wider US delegation included officials from the National Security Council (NSC), the State Department, and the Treasury. Gene Lange, the acting head of the sanctions division at the US Department of the Treasury, joined the mission to Moscow, participating in a preparatory meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special representative for economic cooperation.
While Lange did not attend the direct session with Putin, his presence signaled that US sanctions policy featured in the bilateral dialogue, despite recent statements by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ruling out economic concessions without an end to the war.
At the onset of the talks, Putin confirmed that Russian forces had paused aerial strikes on Kyiv starting at midnight on Sept. 5, but rejected Ukraine’s proposal for a wider three-day frontline ceasefire.
Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on Sunday, Sept. 6, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously pledged that Ukrainian forces would refrain from striking Moscow through the end of Monday to facilitate the diplomatic mission.
So, the KP confirms that the two putlerist fuckwits achieved nothing.
What a surprise!
Said no one ever.
A big surprise: an outstanding and informed presentation by Bill Clinton. Except unfortunately it is clearly AI, since it has not appeared anywhere else. Nevertheless it is quite interesting, since it was published before the Moscow shitshow. But you would not have known this from the content.
Clinton’s (real) apology for Budapest:
“Clinton’s Apology/Regret: In a 2023 interview with RTÉ, Clinton stated he feels a “personal stake” and feels “terrible” about the agreement because Ukrainian leaders feared an expansionist Russia and relied on those nukes for protection.
The Aftermath: Clinton noted that none of the involved parties believe Russia would have invaded Ukraine if Kyiv had kept its nuclear deterrent.”
God knows why he chose an Irish outlet for this.
Now the AI presentation about the “peace mission.” :
“Russian forces will capture the entire Donbas by late 2026, according to Reuters and Bloomberg”
We have heard that at least 15 times. Each time the deadline passed, only to ne extended again.
Ukrainians must be fervently hoping for the putler wing of the GOP to lose both houses in November and Krasnov defeated.
Otherwise, it looks like a coalition of the DSA wing of the Dems and the putler wing of the GOP may collude to choke the Graham-Blumenthal bill to death.
Krasnov and his bumchums have shuffled the deck and dealt Putler a fresh and more favorable hand. I would not be surprised if WitnaZi and KushnaZi are on a huge bonus to get the Donbas for Putler.
Plan : to continue the “peace” kabuki theatre indefinitely: fartarsing around to give the fake impression of negotiations, while Putlerist parties shape up to choke off Ukraine aid.
RN in France and AfD in Germany are gathering strength. Reform in the UK would give putler a hat trick.
That $250 billion in Belgium needs to be sent to Ukraine URGENTLY.
Cant wait for UKR’s ballistics to start landing…
The only way they will “capture” Donbas is to nuke it into rubble, like all their other “captured” towns and cities. And that putz from RAND is right, in 2026, the orcs deadline, but the escellation will be exactly this, tact nukes from the orcs, after UKR hit the Kremlin – a threat to orcvilles existance… my predictions.
Yawn!