The United States is ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv only on condition that Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donbas, which would jeopardize the defense of the country and Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Reuters.
Zelensky said the U.S. offer of security guarantees for Ukraine was conditional on the transfer of Donbas to Russia. He said that now, as the U.S. is focused on its own conflict with Iran, President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to quickly end the four-year war sparked by Russia's invasion in 2022.
“The Middle East definitely influences President Trump, and I think his next steps. President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, is still choosing the strategy of increasing pressure on the Ukrainian side,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader stressed that a peace deal requires reliable security guarantees from international partners to prevent Russia from resuming hostilities in the future. He warned that withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbas would jeopardize the security of Ukraine and Europe by giving Russia a strong defensive position in the region.
Zelensky added that Russia is counting on Washington losing interest in the negotiations and is seeking to gain control over the territory of Donbas, part of which still remains under Ukrainian control.