It is not clear where the recent efforts to end the war in Ukraine will lead. But the Donbas, a mineral-rich territory that consists of two regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, will be at the center of any negotiations.

For more than a decade, the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine has been the focal point of intense battles and diplomatic disputes between Kyiv and the Kremlin. Now it could be on the table in peace talks with the United States.