Vladimir Putin claims Russia controls 2,440 sq km in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Russian forces now control about 2,440 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory. He said Russia holds 85 % of the Donetsk region, 100 % of Luhansk and roughly 80 % of Zaporizhzhia, and asserted that Moscow could secure a peace agreement while retaining the Donbas.

Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said the figures are inaccurate, noting that Ukrainian forces recaptured around 282 sq km in May and that the area under Russian control shrank by about 120 sq km in April. They also highlighted declining Russian battlefield performance and the difficulty of sustaining a prolonged war. Putin referenced U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential mediator and suggested former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could act as an intermediary between Russia and Europe.