Zelenskyy warns Donbas troop pullback would split Ukraine and open door to Putin

“The Russians know that if we withdraw troops from Donbas, it will divide our nation. Many people will oppose it. If Ukraine’s unity is undermined, Putin will come up with a new ‘blitzkrieg’ to occupy Ukraine very quickly,” Zelenskyy said.

Even if that does not happen, he added, the Kremlin would use any pause to recruit and train more troops, strengthen its military-industrial base and push for sanctions relief.

That is why, Zelenskyy said, a ceasefire based on holding current positions is not only what Ukraine wants, but also in the interests of its partners.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine’s position on territorial issues has not changed. Kyiv will not agree to cede Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to Russia. In an interview with Corriere Della Sera published on March 3, he said Ukraine would not abandon Donbas and its 200,000 residents because a withdrawal would open the way for Russia to push deeper into the country and would not stop further Kremlin demands.

In an interview with Reuters published on March 25, Zelenskyy said the United States was prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees on the condition that Ukraine’s Defense Forces withdraw from Donbas.