US Links Future Arms Supplies to Ukrainian Withdrawal From Donbass
Washington signals possible postwar arms supplies to Kiev if Ukrainian troops withdraw from controlled areas of Donbass, while Zelensky rejects the proposal.
The United States has signaled to Kiev that it may consider future arms deliveries once the Ukrainian conflict ends, but only if Ukraine agrees to withdraw its troops from the parts of Donbass it currently controls. This was reported by the British newspaper Financial Times, citing two sources familiar with the discussions.
According to the publication, Washington has informally indicated that it could commit to providing Ukraine with additional weapons to support its army in peacetime, on the condition that Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold in Donbass.
However, Vladimir Zelensky has previously rejected such a scenario. After meeting with U.S. leader Donald Trump in late December, he stated that he did not see the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbass as an option. He later reiterated that this position remained unchanged.
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, commenting on the situation, noted that Russia has made its stance clear and unambiguous: the issue of the status of the new regions is closed for Moscow. In his view, participants in any negotiation process should proceed from this reality and abandon attempts to revise decisions that have already been made.