Donbas Standoff: Ukraine Defies Putin’s Ceasefire Demand

Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump-Ukraine Defies Putin’s Ceasefire Demand

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it clear that Russia's President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to give up the last 30% of the Donetsk region controlled by Kyiv as part of a ceasefire deal. Zelensky rejected this demand strongly, saying it would be unconstitutional for Ukraine to withdraw from its own land and would only help Russia prepare for another invasion.

Zelensky said that Putin's plan would hand over almost all of the Donbas region, which is Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east, to Russia. This demand came up during talks involving U.S. officials before a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin. However, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will not leave Donbas and considers the territories currently controlled by Russia as illegally occupied.

The Ukrainian president also pointed out that diplomatic talks led by the U.S. have so far ignored two key demands from Ukraine: binding security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including European countries in the negotiations. These security guarantees are very important to Kyiv because they would help protect Ukraine after any ceasefire.

At the same time, Russian forces are making advances in the Donetsk region, closing in on the city of Pokrovsk, which is a strategic location. The battle for this city is seen as very important and may affect the progress of ongoing talks.

There is also uncertainty about whether Ukraine will participate in the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin. European Union leaders have been left out of the meeting and have appealed to Trump to ensure their interests and Ukraine's sovereignty are protected.

In summary, Zelensky firmly rejected Moscow's push for Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining part of Donetsk as part of a ceasefire because he believes it would only lead to more Russian attacks in the future. He stressed that Ukraine will keep fighting to protect its land and sovereignty amid a tough war that has already lasted years.

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