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Washington Conditions Security Pledge on Ukraine Retreat from Donbas
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the United States has linked its proposal for security guarantees to Ukraine giving up the entire Donbas region to Russia.
These guarantees are considered a necessary part of a potential peace agreement, Reuters reports on March 25.
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According to Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump is currently focused on the situation involving Iran. He noted that the US leader is applying pressure on Ukraine to quickly end the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelenskyy mentioned that the situation in the Middle East is influencing the actions of the American president. He expressed his view that the strategy currently being chosen involves increasing pressure on the Ukrainian side.
The Ukrainian President has frequently emphasized that reliable security guarantees from international partners are essential. These measures are intended to prevent Russia from starting new hostilities if a peace deal is reached.
Zelenskyy explained that US officials are prepared to finalize these high-level guarantees once Ukraine is ready to pull its troops out of the Donbas.
However, he warned that such a move would put the safety of both Ukraine and Europe at risk because it would give Russia control over the strong defensive positions in that region. The White House did not provide an immediate comment on these statements.
In January, Zelenskyy had mentioned that a document regarding security guarantees between Ukraine and the US was fully prepared and waiting for signatures.
Following recent talks between American and Ukrainian officials in Miami, he indicated that more work is still required on the agreement.
Speaking from the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that Russia is waiting for Ukraine to retreat. He noted that Moscow continues to demand the parts of the Donbas still held by Ukrainian forces, betting that Washington will eventually lose interest in the negotiations and withdraw.
Russian forces are making slow progress on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine. Military experts suggest it could take several years and a high number of troops for Russia to fully capture the region. This area includes a chain of heavily fortified cities known as the "Fortress Belt ."
Despite the high demand for weapons due to tensions in the Gulf, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for continuing to provide Patriot air defense systems.
These systems are the only ones capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. While he expressed gratitude that the supplies have not stopped, he noted that the number of Patriot missiles being delivered is not as large as Ukraine requires.
Zelenskyy also shared that Ukraine is making progress in manufacturing its own long-range missiles and drones.
This domestic production allows the country to conduct strikes deep inside Russian territory in response to the ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine would not withdraw its forces from Donbas or abandon the roughly 200,000 Ukrainians remaining there.
He described negotiations that had narrowed down to control over approximately 5,800 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine. While he had initially accepted a US proposal to freeze the line of fire to stop the fighting, he noted that Russia rejected the compromise and instead demanded a full Ukrainian withdrawal.
Zelenskyy firmly rejected the idea of leaving the region, warning that abandoning these strong defensive positions would give Russian forces a direct route toward the country’s central regions.
