Zelenskyy warns Donbas troop pullback would split Ukraine and open door to Putin
If Ukraine withdraws its troops from Donbas, it will divide the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (Photo: King Danylo 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade / Telegram)
A withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas would divide
the nation and give dictator Vladimir Putin an opening for renewed aggression,
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
in an interview on The Rest Is Politics podcast on April 10.
“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.
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