President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian troops will not withdraw from Donbas, and the authorities will not leave 200,000 Ukrainians there, as the Russian Federation demands. According to him, the Donetsk region has the best defensive lines, and if they withdraw from there, the Russians will have a way to the center of Ukraine.
He said this in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
According to the head of state, the negotiating teams of Ukraine, the US, and the Russian Federation are currently “stuck” on a 20-point peace plan and the issue of control over territories.
“We have security guarantees from the Americans, but they want to sign them only in the context of an agreement with the Russians. I do not agree with this point, but that is how it is. We also have a ready-made protocol with the Europeans, but it is also unsigned. There are agreements on our reconstruction, but they can begin only after peace is concluded. But all this is not enough… The Americans are thinking about exchanging territories, the Russians want us to withdraw troops. Exchange is not in our interests,” Zelensky says.
He noted that we are talking about 5,800 square kilometers of Donbas territory, and Moscow needs “a lot of forces” to control them in the event of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' withdrawal.
“I chose the diplomatic path, I accepted the US proposal to freeze the front line. Many of us did not agree with this compromise, but I followed (US President – ed.) Donald Trump to at least stop the fighting. The Russians, however, refused and want our complete withdrawal of troops from Donbas. Then the Americans proposed demilitarized zones and free economic zones on both sides of the front. I said that this should apply to both sides, but the Russians replied that it should only be on our side. This is pure madness,” the president said.
When asked whether Kyiv would withdraw its own army from the Donetsk region if security was guaranteed by foreign contingents in Ukraine so that the Russian army would not move further, Zelensky noted that the Russian authorities are against their presence.
“The Russians do not want foreign troops in Ukraine. And I believe that Europe should be more firm on this issue… But I want to state clearly: I will never leave Donbas and the 200,000 Ukrainians who live there. Why should I do this? Because (Vladimir — ed.) Putin is imposing this as a condition for peace? And will he immediately make new demands? No, I will not tolerate this. Besides, our best defensive strongholds are here… If we withdraw the troops, the Russians will have complete freedom of action towards the center of the country,” he said.
In addition, the head of state suggested that even if the US were to send its troops to Ukraine to guarantee security, it is unknown what terms would be involved.
“I don't want to draw parallels, but let's remember the withdrawal of (US — ed.) troops from Afghanistan. What will happen if in 10 years, not (Donald — ed.) Trump, but another US president decides to withdraw his troops (from Ukraine — ed.)? We need a strong Ukrainian line of defense,” Zelensky added.