Reflection of Front and Settings Censing for Ukraine’s Fire

Paul Adams

BBC’s diplomatic correspondent

Map of BBC Ukraine, lined with the colors of the national flag - blue from above and yellow at the bottom. Stylized black and white heads by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, both in costumes and in the form of seriously, are on both sides of the map.BBC

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday

Speculations were spinning whether the Trump-Purven summit would be forcibly and fundamentally changed.

Since 2014, Russia has claimed large parts of Ukraine when President Vladimir Putin has taken his first step.

At the time, for several months, Moscow conducted a relatively bloodless occupation and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

But behind it was followed by the Russian separatist movement in the eastern region of the Donbass-in privacy, in two regions, or “regions” known as Donetsk and Lugansk.

The war there puffed up for eight years.

Map of Ukraine before the war, showing Ukraine and Russia. The key areas highlighted by Crimea, which was fully annexed by Russia in 2014, Luhansk and Donetsk are labeled, and a large patch in the east of two regions is shadowed and indicated in the areas stored by Russian separatists. The Kyiv capital is also indicated by an insert that shows Ukraine's location in Europe.

Ukraine after 2014 until the start of a full -scale invasion of 2022

During this period, Ukraine lost about 14,000 soldiers and civilians.

But in February 2022, Putin launched his full -scale invasion. Russian troops quickly reached the outskirts of Kiev and confiscated huge spots in the south, including large pieces of two more regions, ferries and cieson.

The war has endured and flowed since then. Now Russia controls a rather smaller territory – approximately 27% in the spring of 2022 by about 20%. In the East, Russian forces are moving, but very slowly and for a great price.

A map showing Russian military control in Ukraine for one month in the war. Solid red areas indicate full Russian control and reach 100 km from the Russian border in eastern Ukraine; Red diagonal lines show limited control and almost reach the capital of Kiev - show the regions of the festival and cieson in the southeast. Source: ISW (March 2022)

Ukraine in 2022 – one month in full -scale invasion

President Volodimir Zelensky from Ukraine says that the fire is now needed. European allies also insist on a stop in the fight. US President Donald Trump says this is what he tried to achieve.

But on the eve of his summit in Alaska with Putin, Trump began to talk, instead of territorial swaps. This directed the shock waves through Kyiv and Europe.

It is not quite clear what Trump is referring to, or what these swaps may look, given that the whole territory is legally belonging to Ukraine.

As of August 2025, the territory of Ukraine looks like this:

The map showing the front line in Ukraine as of August 12, 2025. In areas under Russian military control are shaded pink, limited sections of control have red strips, and Russian sections of control are yellow - it shows that Russia has lost control of almost all districts outside the country and the Crimea. The marked key cities include Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaparitzhuy and Kherson. Source: ISW

Russia would very much like to expand its control over all Luhansk and Donetsk.

Some reports indicate that Putin demands that Ukraine transfer the remaining territory, which it controls in both areas.

But this would mean that Kiev abandoned the places in which tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were killed, trying to defend – cities as Kramatar and Slavian, and a fortified line that protects the Ukrainian territory in the north and west.

A map that emphasizes the Donbass area in yellow. The cities of Donetsk Slavyansk and the crook are marked inside the district on the Ukrainian side of the front, which is indicated in red. Source: ISW, since August 12, 2025.

For Kyiv, such a concession would be a bitter pill to swallow. For Moscow, the losses of which were even more catastrophic, it will be considered a victory.

On Tuesday, Zelensky stated that Ukraine could “leave” Donbass because Moscow will use this region as a bridgehead to attack the rest of the country.

In recent days, Russian troops seem to be strongly pushing and made progress near the city of Dabropilia. But it is not yet clear whether this means a significant strategic step or just the efforts to show Trump that Moscow is prevailed.

And what about the bunches and cieson, captured in 2022?

Here, as reportedly, Russia proposes to stop the consequences and freeze the lines.

A map that emphasizes the areas of the Couplets and Kherson in yellow. The front line between the Ukrainian and Russian troops was marked with red. The key places with the inscription include Kyiv, Mariupol, Crimea, Black Sea and Azov Sea. Source: ISW, since August 12, 2025.

But will Russia ready to return this?

On Monday, Trump vaguely spoke about the Ocean Property-as a link to some coastline along the Azov or the Black Sea.

But this is all part of the strategically vital Putin’s vital bridge that connects Russia with occupied Crimea.

It is difficult to see how the Russian leader agreed to give up this. Like Donetsk and Luhansk, Putin views these places within Russia, and illegally joined them three years ago in four referendums, which are widely regarded as fake.

For Ukraine and Europe, the territorial swaps-on this earliest stage of the negotiations-starter.

In the end, a discussion about future borders may come, but only when the war stopped and Ukraine’s security was guaranteed.

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