Media: Putin Is Reported On "collapse"

• 13.05.2026, 11:10

It became known about the Kremlin's plans for Donbass.

Russia and Ukraine have less and less faith in the prospect of U.S.-mediated peace talks. According to the Financial Times, Vladimir Putin is focused on seizing new territories by force and plans to toughen demands after possible control of Donbass.

Financial Times sources familiar with Moscow and Kiev's positions told the Financial Times.

They said the Kremlin believes there is little chance of resuming active negotiations once the war in the Middle East is over. Ukrainian officials also believe that the negotiation process has actually stalled since the February contacts with Russia.

"The American side has not made any progress from Russia. Everything that could be discussed has already been discussed," a Ukrainian official said.

The FT reports that Russian commanders have convinced Putin that the Russian army could completely take over Donbass before the fall. After that, the Kremlin allegedly plans to raise the "price" of a possible truce and make new territorial demands. In particular, it is about the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, which Russia declared annexed in 2022, although some of these regions remain under Ukrainian control.

At the same time, the publication's interlocutors claim that Putin continues to seek to keep Donald Trump in the peace process, even despite the loss of confidence in the negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the U.S. remains involved in diplomacy, although "obviously the war in Iran is now getting the most attention from America and the president of the United States."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga also reacted to Putin's suggestion of a possible European mediator. The Russian president suggested the candidacy of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"We categorically do not support such a candidacy," Sibiga said.

FT writes that Putin remains confident of a possible collapse of the Ukrainian front, despite Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory and the slow pace of the Russian army's offensive. One of the paper's sources said that Putin is being reported that allegedly "the Ukrainians are having a hard time, their front is collapsing and they have run out of men."

The paper's interlocutors close to the talks, however, believe that the Kremlin's real goals may be much broader than Donbass. According to them, Russia still seeks to establish control over most of Ukraine, including Kiev and Odessa.