US ready to provide security guarantees if Ukraine hands over Donbas to Russia, - Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the US is willing to provide Kyiv with security guarantees on condition that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the unoccupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
He made the comments in an interview with Reuters, Censor.NET reports.
The US condition
As the US is currently focused on its own conflict with Iran, US President Donald Trump has adopted a strategy of putting pressure on Ukraine in an attempt to quickly bring an end to the four-year war, Zelenskyy said.
- He noted that the US side is prepared to finalise the security guarantees document only if Ukraine agrees to withdraw from Donbas.
Russia’s objectives
"The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," the head of state emphasised, warning that such a withdrawal would jeopardise the security of Ukraine and Europe as a whole.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia, which is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east, is banking on Washington losing interest in the negotiations and eventually walking away from them.
Reuters adds that, according to military analysts, Russia may need several years and a significant number of troops to fully capture Donbas, particularly the "belt of fortresses" — the fortified Ukrainian cities.
