EASTORA REPORT | Russian negotiators told their Ukrainian counterparts that Moscow had already seized half of the Donbas territory still held by Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky says the claim stunned his delegation for a simple reason: Ukrainian soldiers are still there.
Speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday, November 10, the Ukrainian president described what he said Russian officials had asserted during U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi. “It’s half. It’s not like one village. They really talk about this,” he said, stressing the scale of the territory Moscow purported to control.
Zelensky recalled his negotiators’ reaction: “How can they even speak about it? Our soldiers are there.” He said Russian military and intelligence representatives appeared to believe their own account of the battlefield. “Putin lives in a different reality,” he added, suggesting the Kremlin was working from a distorted picture of its advances.
The dispute arose as Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations met on November 10 for their first trilateral talks since February. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined discussions that also addressed security guarantees, de-escalation and the release of prisoners.
Zelensky said negotiators discussed a possible exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side, potentially rising to 1,500 apiece. The second day, November 11, is expected to cover energy infrastructure, the Black Sea and the prospect of talks between national leaders.
Territory remains the sharpest divide. Moscow demands the rest of Donbas, including areas Ukraine continues to defend. Kyiv refuses to surrender that land and says any agreement needs credible security guarantees. Zelensky said Putin had told Washington Russia could occupy all of eastern Ukraine within one to three months, a forecast he disputed.
Zelensky believes decisions about territory belong to presidents, not just negotiating teams. Even after describing the gulf between the two sides, he left open the possibility of sitting down with Putin himself. “We’re ready for a leaders-level meeting, but I’m not sure if the Russians are ready,” he said.