- Category
- Latest news
Zelenskyy Draws Red Line, Saying That He “Will Never Leave Donbas and 200,000 Ukrainians”
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made clear that Ukraine will not withdraw its forces from Donbas or abandon the roughly 200,000 Ukrainians who remain there, calling Russia’s demands unacceptable, he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on March 3.
Zelenskyy described negotiations that have narrowed to control over approximately 5,800 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
He said he chose the diplomatic route and accepted the US proposal to freeze the line of fire, even though many inside Ukraine opposed the compromise.
His goal, he explained, was at least to stop the fighting. However, he said Russia rejected the proposal and is demanding a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas.
Zelenskyy also revealed that Washington suggested demilitarized zones and free economic zones on both sides of the front line. He responded that any such arrangement must apply equally. Moscow, he said, insisted it would apply only to Ukraine.
“That is pure madness,” he said.
The President acknowledged that the United States has discussed security guarantees but prefers to link them to a broader agreement with Russia. Zelenskyy admitted he does not agree with that approach, though that is the current reality. A separate European security protocol is ready but remains unsigned.
He described the negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia as “stuck” on a 20-point framework and disputes over territorial control. According to Zelenskyy, American officials have floated the idea of territorial exchanges, while Moscow continues to demand a complete Ukrainian withdrawal.
“Exchange is not in our interest,” he stressed.
When asked whether Ukraine would leave Donbas if foreign troops guaranteed security in its place, Zelenskyy firmly rejected the idea.
He noted that Russia opposes any foreign troops in Ukraine, but argued Moscow has no right to dictate what forces are stationed on Ukrainian territory—especially when thousands of North Korean soldiers are reportedly deployed inside Russia.
“I want to be clear: I will never leave Donbas and the 200,000 Ukrainians who live there,” Zelenskyy said. “Why should I do that? Because Putin imposes it as a condition for peace? And will he immediately impose new demands after that? No, I will not accept it.”
-051a89e5a5304a3f0a58cfb1746eda24.png)
He warned that Donbas contains some of Ukraine’s strongest defensive positions. If Ukrainian troops withdrew, Russian forces would have a direct route toward the country’s central regions.
Zelenskyy also raised concerns about relying indefinitely on foreign troops for protection. Referencing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, he questioned how long such guarantees would truly last.
“What happens if in ten years it is not Trump but another US President who decides to withdraw troops?” he asked. “We need a strong Ukrainian line of defense.”
Earlier, Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, stated that Russia would need roughly a year and a half to fully capture the Donbas region—and could achieve that only at the cost of losing the entire Russian force currently deployed in occupied Ukrainian territories.
He noted that throughout 2025, Russian forces captured less than 1% of Ukraine’s total territory, paying what he described as an enormous human cost—more than 450,000 Russian soldiers.
According to Palisa, Ukraine’s Defense Forces currently maintain control over approximately 6,000 square kilometers of the Donetsk region. Based on current battlefield dynamics, he said, Russia would require significant additional time and extremely heavy losses to occupy the remaining territory.
-f223fd1ef983f71b86a8d8f52216a8b2.jpg)
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-d3a157681c162cfaad134697053ff774.jpg "Ukrainian Soldiers Rescue 12th-Century Stone Babas From Frontline Zaporizhzhia")