Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly and firmly opposed the idea of giving up the Donbas region to Russia. He has rejected any talk of trading territory just days before a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy explained that losing Donbas would not just be a political compromise but a major strategic mistake that would make it easier for Russia to attack again in the future.
According to Politico, during a recent conversation with reporters in Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader was very clear in his refusal to surrender the region. He said, “We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive. If today we leave Donbas, from our fortifications, from our reliefs, from the heights that we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for preparing an offensive by the Russians. In a few years, Putin will have an open path to both the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions. And not only that. Also to Kharkiv.”
