Giving Putin the Donbas would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s financial survival

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected proposals to concede land to Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly the hotly-contested Donbas region.

The Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is Ukraine's industrial heartland where coal mining and steel production are the main drivers of economic growth. Ultimately, control of the region's mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s post-war economic survival.

'OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:' ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA

"Donbas offers both a military advantage an...