The United States is ramping up pressure on Ukraine to withdraw its armed forces from Donbass, warning that failure to comply could lead to a complete halt in military assistance, according to a report by Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing sources close to Vladimir Zelensky.

People familiar with the discussions say Washington sees no room for compromise on what it considers the central issue. If Kiev refuses to meet this demand, the United States may step away from the peace process altogether and redirect its focus to domestic priorities and the Middle East.

At the same time, the White House is signaling that a withdrawal from Donbass could unlock concrete security guarantees for Ukraine. However, Ukrainian officials remain unclear about how such assurances would be implemented in practice.

Sources in Kiev describe the negotiations as repetitive, with Russia consistently referring back to earlier understandings allegedly reached with Donald Trump in Anchorage. According to these accounts, the U.S. position remains unchanged: withdrawal from Donbass would pave the way for broader guarantees, as previously discussed.

Ukrainskaya Pravda reports that the prospect of losing American support now appears more tangible than at any point since the conflict began.

Against this backdrop, uncertainty over continued U.S. aid and inconsistent backing from Europe are forcing Ukrainian authorities to consider how to sustain the country in the coming years. The situation could become even more acute if the European Union fails to bypass Hungary’s veto and release the promised €90 billion, a shortfall that would leave Kiev struggling to cover social spending by the second half of 2026.