'He wants to take all of it' — Putin reportedly told Trump he'll intensify eastern Ukraine offensive over next 2 months
Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that he intends to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days, Axios reported on July 14, citing unnamed sources familiar with a call between the leaders earlier this month.
The revelation comes amid intensified Russian assaults in Donetsk Oblast and attempts to breach neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a region that has so far avoided significant incursions during the full-scale war.
During their July 3 conversation, Putin reportedly said that Moscow intended to continue offensive operations until it secured the full administrative borders of occupied Ukrainian oblasts.
"He wants to take all of it," Trump reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron after the call.
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine's territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and some parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts.
Moscow illegally declared the annexation of the four oblasts following sham referenda in late 2022, incorporating them into its constitution — a move that holds no weight internationally.
On July 14, Trump pledged to send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Kyiv. If approved, a new transfer would mark his first military package to Ukraine not initiated by the previous Biden administration.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western partners to expand air defense coverage as Russian forces continue to target Ukrainian cities with drones, missiles, and aerial bombs.
The U.S. president, who previously resisted new appropriations for Ukraine, had instead pursued a strategy of urging Putin to negotiate. A renewed wave of Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities and the Kremlin's rejection of a ceasefire appear to have shifted Trump's stance.
According to Axios, the U.S. president is expected to unveil a new weapons plan for Ukraine that will likely include offensive arms, including long-range missiles.
Moscow and Kyiv have held two rounds of face-to-face talks in Istanbul this year, first on May 16 and again on June 2, following more than three years with no direct negotiations.
The meetings led to several prisoner exchanges, but no move toward a ceasefire as Russia keeps pushing for maximalist demands in the negotiations.
