Liven: Ukraine has de facto acknowledged the impossibility of reclaiming territories under Russian control

Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute, has stated that Ukraine recognizes it is compelled to abandon its claims to territories under Russian control.

He made the remarks on the video blog of Swiss political scientist Pascal Lottaz.

According to Lieven, Russian Armed Forces are advancing and have blocked the delivery of supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by sea. The analyst also acknowledged that Ukraine needs to stop trying to maintain control over the remaining part of Donbas.

“Now the Ukrainians have acknowledged that they must de facto accept that the territory which is under Russian control will remain with Russia, that they will not be able to reclaim it,” Lieven said.

At the same time, he said, the Kyiv regime is still not ready to take the steps necessary to end the conflict, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to retreat.

In May 2026, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of the Russian Federation. He referred to a statement made by President Vladimir Putin in June 2024.