President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out handing over Donbas to Russia, saying it would “clearly open a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive” in the future.
In a meeting with journalists in Kyiv on Tuesday, Aug 12, Zelensky likened the industrial heartland to a “springboard” for future Russian aggression should it fall into Moscow’s hands.
“We will not leave Donbas. We can’t do that. Donbas, for the Russians, is a springboard for a future new offensive,” Zelensky told reporters.
“If today we leave Donbas, from our fortifications, from our reliefs, from the heights that we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for preparing an offensive… in a few years, Putin will have an open path to both the Zaporizhzhia and [Dnipropetrovsk] regions. And not only that. Also to Kharkiv,” Zelensky added.
On Aug. 9, Politico reported that under the truce proposal floated by the administration of US President Donald Trump, Russia would be allowed to keep Donbas, and be ceded territory it does not occupy, in return for halting its offensive in the south, citing an official close to the deal.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Russia is making Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claims is 70% occupied by Moscow, a precondition for a ceasefire.
Zelensky said that Putin “probably wants us to leave Donbas,” but added that “I do not believe that Putin’s proposal is Trump’s proposal… He acts as a mediator; he is in the middle, not on Russia’s side.”
Confirming that he would have calls with leaders from Europe and the US on Wednesday, Zelensky underlined that Kyiv and Europe will continue to push for a ceasefire before substantive talks, warning “any productive talks without [Ukraine] at the table will not work for us… they will not be accepted by us.”
Zelensky added that “the exchange of territories is a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine, for our sovereign state and our people.”
It is just days before Trump is set to meet with Putin at a snap summit in Alaska as the US president hopes to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It is not yet clear whether Zelensky will attend the summit, though Trump appeared to dismiss the idea on Monday, Aug. 11, saying, “I would say he could go, but he’s gone to a lot of meetings, he’s been there for three-and-a-half years and nothing happened.”
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested to reporters that Zelensky had been sidelined from peace talks because the invitation to meet had been extended by the Russian president.
It comes amid reports of a frontline breach in Donbas as the Russian military focuses its forces on seizing territorial gains to take to the negotiating table.
On Tuesday, reports suggested that Russian infantry on foot had advanced at least 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) – and possibly up to 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) – into Ukrainian-held territory north of the Ukrainian stronghold of Pokrovsk.
Dobropillia, north of Pokrovsk and 94 kilometers (58 miles) northwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, is strategically significant for Kyiv, and the assault may mark Moscow’s most successful breakthrough in a year.
Dobropillia and Kramatorsk are both major hubs for the Ukrainian army, and Kramatorsk still houses thousands of civilians.
Ukraine’s military said that Russia had concentrated around 110,000 troops in the sector as part of a heated, casualty-heavy fight to strengthen its position across the eastern front.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Monday that Russia will seek to “mature their tactical advances into an operational-level breakthrough in the coming days,” placing several defensive strongholds in the region at risk of encirclement and possible capture.
After months of mostly static front lines, the sudden push is thought to be a means for Putin to strengthen his bargaining power when he meets with Trump on Friday.
It would give Putin more leverage to press for Kyiv to cede parts of Donetsk not even under Russian control.
In recent days, Trump has alluded to “land-swapping” in order to build a truce, though Ukraine has little Russian territory to “swap” in exchange for its own land.
On Monday, the US president insisted that Ukraine must accept the redrawing of its borders to achieve peace, but claimed that he would try to get “some very prime territory” back for Ukraine.
“In real estate, we call it oceanfront property,” Trump said, ostensibly referring to territory on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
But on Tuesday, Zelensky argued that the current talks did not touch on any form of security guarantees for Kyiv beyond the so-called land swap proposals.
“I have heard nothing – not a single proposal – that would guarantee that a new war will not start tomorrow and that Putin will not try to occupy at least Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv,” once Russia has claimed all of Donbas, Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday.