US wants Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees – Zelensky

According to Ukrinform, Zelensky stated this in an interview with Reuters.

"The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelensky said.

According to him, as the United States is currently focused on its own conflict with Iran, President Donald Trump is putting pressure on Ukraine in an attempt to quickly end the four-year war that began with Russia's invasion in 2022.

"The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump, and I think ⁠on his next steps. President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy to put more pressure on the Ukrainian ​side," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president has repeatedly emphasized the need for reliable security guarantees from international partners to prevent Russia from resuming hostilities in the future if a peace agreement is reached.

"The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," he said, warning that such a withdrawal would threaten the security of both Ukraine and, consequently, Europe, as Kyiv would give up strong defensive positions in the region.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zelensky noted that in January, a document on security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States was "100% ready" and awaiting signing. However, after talks between American and Ukrainian officials in Miami, he said there was still work to be done.

He also stated that Russia, which consistently demands territories in Donbas still under Ukrainian control, is betting that Washington will lose interest in negotiations and withdraw from them.

Following massive Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, Zelensky thanked the Trump administration for continuing deliveries of Patriot missile system systems, despite growing demand for these weapons due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf.

"We were not stopped from deliveries. ⁠I'm very ​grateful to President Trump, and to his team," Zelensky said. "But this supply of ​Patriot missiles is not as large as we need," he added.

He said that Ukraine is making progress in producing its own long-range missiles and drones, enabling it to strike deep inside Russia in response to attacks on Ukrainian cities.

As Ukrinform previously reported, according to a negotiating team that returned from the United States, there is currently no real movement toward peace from Russia's side.

Zelensky has also previously stated that Ukrainian forces will not withdraw from Donbas and will not abandon the 200,000 Ukrainians living there.