Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday ruled out the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from Donbas as part of a possible peace deal with Russia, because it would deprive Kiev of its defensive lines and open the way for Moscow to launch further offensives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Reuters and AFP reported that the Ukrainian leader made the remarks to reporters. According to the AP, Zelensky said that the Kremlin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the part of the Donetsk region controlled by Kiev as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.
The US and Russian presidents are expected to discuss options for ending Russia's war in Ukraine on Friday, and unconfirmed media reports suggest Putin told Trump he wants Ukraine to hand over parts of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control, Reuters reports. Zelensky made the request today, according to the AP, saying he was briefed on the Russian proposal by US officials.
The industrial Donbass in eastern Ukraine is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukraine has been resisting open Russian military aggression since February 2022, with Russian invading forces having since seized almost all of Luhansk Oblast and currently occupying parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson Oblasts and smaller areas in Kharkiv and Sumy Oblasts. Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, in violation of international law.
"We will not withdraw from Donbass... if we withdraw from Donbass today - (leave) our fortifications, our terrain, the heights that we control - we will clearly open a bridgehead for the Russians to prepare an offensive," Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday, according to AFP. He also stressed that handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia would be unconstitutional, according to the AP.
According to AFP, Zelenskyy said that the Russians are planning new ground attacks at at least three points on the front line to put pressure on Kiev and force concessions from it.
The upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska has been described by the Ukrainian president as a personal victory for the Kremlin leader."Firstly, he will meet (with Trump) on American soil, which I consider his personal victory. Secondly, he is coming out of isolation, because he is meeting on American soil. And thirdly, with this meeting he has in a way postponed sanctions," Zelensky said.
