The withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from Donbas would be a strategic defeat for Kiev.
This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to him, such a step would weaken the defense and positions of the Armed Forces, including fortifications and the front line.
"They want us to withdraw from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Of course, from a strategic point of view, this is a defeat for us, the Armed Forces. The fortifications, the defensive line, we will definitely weaken even more," Zelensky stressed.
He also called for not creating a sensation over the previously announced, but still unfulfilled, visit to Kiev by the US President's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, and Jared Kushner. "The Ukrainian side is in constant contact with them... They need this, not us," Zelensky said.
At the same time, he stressed that US leader Donald Trump cannot act as a guarantor of Ukraine's security after the war with Russia ends, because his term in office is limited: "President Trump will be in office for another two and a half years, so what will we do then?" said the Ukrainian leader.
