Zelensky doubles down: ‘We will never leave the Donbas’
- On August 12, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed a Russian proposal that called for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the Donbas area in eastern Ukraine.
- Zelensky said the proposal came as Moscow offered to halt advances elsewhere in exchange for Kyiv withdrawing from Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- He emphasized Ukraine controls about 30 percent of Donetsk, holds strategic high ground, and that any pullout would remove fortified defensive lines and enable new Russian offensives.
- Zelensky emphasized that withdrawing troops would enable Russia to launch further attacks and stressed that discussions on territorial matters should only take place following a ceasefire accompanied by security assurances.
- Zelensky’s stance implies continued Ukrainian resistance in Donbas with security assurances as prerequisites, while a US-Russia summit is scheduled on August 15 to discuss possible conflict resolutions.
69 Articles
69 Articles


Zelenskyy says Putin wants rest of Ukraine’s Donetsk region as part of ceasefire
KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30 percent of the Donetsk region as part of a cease-fire agreement, a…
Russia wants Ukraine's full withdrawal from Donetsk, but won't allow it: Zelenskyy
Ukraine conflict: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will neither withdraw from Donetsk nor any other region of the country calling the move 'unconstitutional'. The Ukrainian President also claimed that Vladimir Putin presented his demand during a meeting with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
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