President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the Ukrainian army will not withdraw from Donbas, otherwise, according to him, this would pave the way for a third war and a future offensive on the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as the city of Kharkiv.
The head of state made this statement during a conversation with journalists, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do that. Everyone forgets the first part — our territories are illegally occupied. For the Russians, Donbas is a springboard for a future new offensive. If we leave Donbas of our own accord or under pressure, we will start a third war. Why? Crimea was definitely a springboard for an offensive against the south of our country. Donbas was definitely a springboard for not sparing Ukrainian citizens, not using our own, not mobilizing (sorry to say this, but that’s how it is), and turning the separatists into the Russian army,” Zelensky emphasized.
According to him, in 2014, the Russians formed a springboard in Crimea and Donbas for a future full-scale invasion.
“After a full-scale invasion, if we leave Donbas today, our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for the Russians to prepare their offensive. In a few years, Putin will have an open path to the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. And not only that. Also to Kharkiv,” said the head of state.
Therefore, in his opinion, “any question of territory cannot be separated from security guarantees.”
“Otherwise, they now want to give them about 9,000 square kilometers, which is about 30% of the Donetsk region, and this is a springboard for their new aggression,” the president emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky, while talking to journalists, suggested that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would likely propose during the negotiations that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donbas in exchange for other territories and a ceasefire.
Photo: OP
Source: Zelensky says Ukrainian army will not withdraw from Donbas
