In an interview with the BBC, Vladimir Zelensky said that if Kiev were to withdraw all Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Donbass and other regions, it would split Ukrainian society and weaken the country’s authorities. He argued that such a concession would not be justified even if it resulted in a ceasefire.

Zelensky stressed that he does not view the issue «simply as territory». He described a potential withdrawal as a refusal to stand by hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens living there and as a step that, in his view, would undermine Ukraine’s positions and lead to a deep division within society.

The Russian side, meanwhile, continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the republics of Donbass, as well as from the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, and insists that these territories, along with Crimea, be recognized as part of Russia. Kiev has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to make territorial concessions.

For Moscow, territorial issues remain a central topic in any negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Donbass as historically Russian land and previously declared that Moscow would «return» the region by military means or in some other way.

The Ukrainian leadership, by contrast, adheres to the principle of «we stand where we stand» as its baseline position. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga has said that Kiev, as a matter of principle, will never agree to recognize any form of Russian sovereignty over Crimea or Donbass.