Ukraine’s most heavily fortified region has become the center-point for peace talks to end the war with Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly demanding that Kyiv cede the entire territory to Moscow.

The Russian president allegedly told Donald Trump that he wants all of Ukraine’s Donbas region as part of any deal to put an end to the war. More than 10 years into Moscow's relentless assaults in eastern Ukraine,

US President Trump reportedly conveyed Putin's demand for Donetsk to Ukraine's Zelenskyy. Why is this industrial region so crucial, and what does it mean for the war?