Zelensky Rejects Any Peace Deal That Requires Ukraine to Pull Troops From Donbas — ‘Ukrainians Would Never Forgive Us’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly refused the idea of unilaterally withdrawing Ukrainian forces from the remaining parts of Donbas under Kyiv’s control as part of any peace agreement a stance he reiterated immediately following this week’s US-brokered peace talks in Geneva.
In an interview amid the ongoing negotiations, Zelensky stressed that any plan envisioning Ukraine giving up territory or withdrawing troops without a reciprocal Russian pullback would be unacceptable to the Ukrainian people and would be rejected in a national referendum. He underscored that Ukrainians “would never forgive” such concessions and highlighted that only a freeze of current front-line positions or a mirrored withdrawal by both sides might be considered.
The comments come as Ukraine, Russia and the United States hold trilateral talks in Geneva focused on ending the war, with the future of Donbas remaining the core sticking point.
Source: Axios / Reuters / Kyiv Independent reporting on Zelensky’s position following the Geneva peace negotiations.