Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that would require Kyiv to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region it still controls as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.
The proposal, tabled ahead of the highly anticipated Alaska summit between Trump and Putin scheduled for Friday, would effectively give Moscow control over nearly the entire Donbas region—a long-coveted objective for the Kremlin.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kyiv, Zelenskyy confirmed that the demand was communicated by US officials following a meeting between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin. The Ukrainian leader stressed that his government would not surrender its positions.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do it,” Zelenskyy said, warning that ceding the region would hand Russia a strategic launching point for future offensives. “For Russians, Donbas is a springboard for a future new offensive.”
The Ukrainian president emphasised that the territory in question—around 9,000 square kilometres—is heavily fortified and essential for defending Ukraine’s central cities. “I have heard nothing, not a single proposal, that would guarantee a new war will not start tomorrow, or that Putin will not attempt to take Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv,” he added.
Zelenskyy accused Putin of seeking to dominate Ukraine because he “does not want a sovereign Ukraine.”
On Monday, Trump stated that both Kyiv and Moscow would have to make territorial concessions to end the war, adding that his upcoming discussions with Putin would quickly reveal whether the Russian leader is prepared to strike a deal.
Reports indicate that European leaders and Zelenskyy plan to speak with Trump before the Alaska summit, amid concerns that Washington may press Kyiv into accepting terms unfavourable to its sovereignty.
While Trump has recently hardened his approach towards Moscow—authorising additional US arms shipments to Ukraine and threatening tariffs on buyers of Russian oil—European capitals remain wary that he could broker an agreement requiring major concessions from Kyiv.
In past remarks, Trump has floated the idea of land swaps, though both Russia and Ukraine have consistently resisted ceding territory in exchange for peace. Speaking to reporters, he said, “There’ll be some land swapping going on… to the good of Ukraine,” adding that Russia holds “very prime territory” but that efforts will be made to reclaim “some of that territory back.”
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