Withdrawal from Donbas would save Putin up to 1 million Russian soldiers - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
If Ukraine withdraws from Donbas, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be able to save the lives of up to one million of his soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Rai Italia.
"Putin understands that if we withdraw, he will save from 300,000 to one million of his soldiers, depending on activity and duration of offensive actions in Donbas. Why should we suddenly believe him and give such gifts?" he said.
Zelenskyy also raised a question: why should Ukraine leave its own land that it controls?
"He was unable to achieve anything on the battlefield: there are no forces. He wants us to believe him and simply leave our territories, which are well fortified. These fortifications limit the capabilities of Russian troops," the President of Ukraine stressed.
Territory issue in negotiations
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has held several rounds of negotiations with the aggressor country. The main issue that has not yet been resolved is control over the non-occupied territories of Donbas.
Western media published information about various peace plans that envisage freezing the war along the current frontline and the creation of demilitarized zones on the territory of Ukraine.
In particular, Bloomberg wrote that Russia is ready to sign a draft memorandum on peace if Ukraine agrees to withdraw troops from the entire Donetsk region.
At the same time Kremlin is allegedly ready to withdraw troops from Sumy, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions and abandon claims to parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions controlled by Ukraine.
In response, Zelenskyy rejected any exchange of Donbas territory for other regions. He stressed that Russia understands it will be able to hold border territories, and the moment will come when the Ukrainian Armed Forces will push the Russians out from there.
