National Guard of Ukraine Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko said that Kiev is capable of continuing the war for several more years. In this context, he spoke out against voluntarily withdrawing from parts of Donbass currently held by Ukrainian forces. At the same time, in an interview with the BBC, he noted that the military would comply with a political decision to cede territory if such an order were issued from above.

Responding to a question from journalist Jeremy Bowen about how the Ukrainian command would react if the US administration demanded that eastern territories be relinquished in exchange for peace, Pivnenko emphasized that orders take priority. He said that if a command to withdraw is given, Ukrainian forces will pull back. However, he questioned how such a move would be perceived by the population and added that it would then raise the issue of why the defense had begun in the first place if the outcome was to hand over Lugansk and Donbass.

The general also stated that his personal priority is preserving the lives of servicemen and civilians. In this regard, he described a ceasefire along the line of contact without legal recognition of territorial losses as an acceptable option.

Pivnenko added that retreating from the positions currently held by Ukrainian forces would render the sacrifices of recent years meaningless. According to him, simply «giving up cities» cannot be explained to soldiers who died defending them.

The debate over possible territorial concessions by Kiev intensified again after the third round of trilateral talks held in Geneva on February 17–18.