"We Can't Leave": Zelensky Stated Three Different Positions On Donbass

• 19.02.2026, 8:51

It's not just about territories.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that following the peace talks in Geneva, Ukraine and the Russian Federation have made progress on military issues. However, in the political, concerning Donbass, all sides have different positions.

The Ukrainian president said this in interview for British journalist Pierce Morgan.

Zelensky said the sides are closer to a result on the military track and that there will be a document spelling out all the details of "how monitoring can or should be carried out immediately after the ceasefire."

"On the political track, things are more complicated. We don't have a unified position - even in the trilateral format. We have three different points of view on the issue of territories," the Ukrainian president said.

He said that in 2025, during peace talks in Saudi Arabia, the United States proposed a ceasefire, a halt along the line of demarcation and solving the territorial issue exclusively through diplomacy.

Now the sides "got a little bit out of that position" when the US said it was necessary to talk about a free economic zone.

"We responded, 'Look, we're sticking to the same American position that was proposed in Saudi Arabia....' So my position is I want to support whatever format we can to keep the dialog going. But this does not mean that I will accept everything," Zelensky explained.

The head of state noted that now Russia offers Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass on its own, after which the war will supposedly end. However, Kiev cannot go for it and will not legally recognize the territories as Russian.

"We cannot just leave. How is that even possible? This is our territory. And the part that is now occupied is also our territory..... Yes, these are temporarily occupied territories. This is very painful for us. But let's stop where we are. And this is already a great compromise," the Ukrainian leader said.

Why Donbass is important

When asked whether Zelensky admits circumstances under which Ukraine would cede any territory during his presidential term "from the point of view of sovereignty," he head of state responded as follows:

"Just to give it away voluntarily? I cannot support such an idea. And I think that even in very difficult circumstances, I'm not sure that our people would be ready for it. Because, as you said, tens of thousands of Ukrainians died defending this part of Ukraine," said the President of Ukraine.

He further emphasized that Donbass is not only about territories, it is about people, values, it is part of Ukraine's independence, and it is also about strategy, how to defend the country.

"We need security guarantees, but even having all this, no one can give us the word that Putin will not come again," the head of state explained.

Resuming Zelenskyi added that it is necessary to think about the next generations, so we cannot allow the future rulers of the country to get "an empty piece of paper".

According to the president, strong security guarantees are needed. In particular, from the United States, the presence of European representatives in Ukraine, as well as a Ukrainian army of 800,000.

"And one of the very important points is defense lines. So when we talk about security, when we talk about Donbass, about the Donetsk region, I also think as president about the lines of defense, which are very strong there," Zelensky concluded.