Kyiv, August 13(HS): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has flatly rejected Moscow’s proposal to withdraw Ukrainian forces from the eastern Donbas region as part of a potential ceasefire. Calling the move a direct threat to national security, Zelensky warned that relinquishing fortified positions in Donetsk and Luhansk would open the door for further Russian offensives toward Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and even Kharkiv.
“Regional issues cannot be separated from security guarantees,” Zelensky stressed, adding that any talks must include Ukraine and hinge on Moscow’s agreement to a genuine ceasefire. He dismissed the idea of ceding any territory under pressure, warning it would invite a “third war.”
Currently, Ukraine controls around 30% of Donetsk—some 9,000 square kilometers—holding strategically vital high ground and defensive fortifications established since 2022.
His remarks come just days before a planned summit in Anchorage, Alaska, between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has hinted that potential “territorial swaps” could be discussed, a notion Kyiv has categorically ruled out.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
