Capitulation for a False Peace: Why Donbas Must Not Be Surrendered

Source: Author’s Facebook page

Let us try to assess without emotions. If the Alaska summit were a boxing match, the victory on points, by unanimous decision of the judges, would have gone to Putin.

1. He broke through international isolation with the help of Trump and stepped from the position of an outcast onto the red carpet. This carpet was laid on the bones of the victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war and covered with kneeling American soldiers.

2. He rallied his people, reminding them once again that the condition for peace is Ukraine’s surrender—at the very least, a complete withdrawal from Donbas.

3. He forced Trump to retreat from demands for a ceasefire, to postpone the imposition of sanctions if Putin refused to comply, and to accept his own rules of the game—that is, a comprehensive peace treaty on the condition of Ukraine’s surrender.

All of this will be explained to Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the meeting in Washington. Other options, which remain unknown at this time, will also be presented.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not withdraw from Donbas.

This exposes him to possible pressure from Trump. At the same time, Trump has already stated that Ukraine should decide for itself what to do with its territory. In other words, he allows Zelensky to reject the proposed conditions.

Europe likewise emphasizes that Ukraine must make its own decisions regarding its territories and guarantees continued support for Ukraine.

This creates a situation in which Trump’s pressure is possible but not inevitable. Suppose Zelenskyy rejects these proposals. Then the war will continue—possibly in a more severe form, since Russia has accumulated numerous “Shaheds” and missiles, which it will unleash on Ukrainian cities as soon as the refusal becomes known.

Another scenario is that Zelenskyy accepts the proposals. In that case, the parties would move to a trilateral meeting, where it is quite possible that these agreements would be formalized. I cannot predict their content; there are not enough details.

For now, these are only my reflections.

I believe the main task at this moment is to preserve the current sanctions regime and the model of supplying American weapons to Ukraine with NATO and EU funding. That is all for now.

Peace, of course, is much better than war. Everyone is tired. But peace can also come after surrender. I am speaking now purely as a civilian who must also endure shelling. If anyone wishes to see the practical embodiment of the word “treason,” then surrendering Donbas would be precisely that.

We would be purchasing a dubious, imposed peace, paying with the lives of people who remain in the part of Donbas under our control. They would be forced to abandon their homes and land and flee from an enemy who brings nothing but death. Occupation brings nothing else. Bucha is a vivid example—and my relatives survived the occupation there. I have heard their stories.

Whether I am writing these words from the trenches near Pokrovsk, my answer is no. I am writing them from the rear. But those who support peace at the cost of surrendering territory have likely never seen people fleeing on foot along the Zhytomyr highway, holding children in one hand and suitcases in the other. Or people barefoot in clogs (when it is still cold outside, because it is early March!), standing in long queues for shelter with only 2,000 UAH for the entire family. Or those rummaging through piles of clothes from humanitarian aid because they have nothing to wear, or storming trains headed west.

I have seen such things. I have had enough. Moreover, I would not wish this on anyone. If we surrender Donbas, such scenes will happen again—and it will be shameful to look these people in the eye.

I will end here, without any appeals. Let everyone make their judgment.

As a reminder, after the meeting in Alaska, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin suggested that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a first step towards ending the war. In response, the Kremlin is allegedly ready to agree to a ceasefire along the current front line in the remaining territories and provide a written guarantee of non-aggression against Ukraine or any European state.

In addition, the Kremlin dictator said that Russia wants an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, and that the meeting with US President Donald Trump is supposedly “bringing us closer to the necessary decisions.” Putin stressed that to achieve a ceasefire, it is necessary to eliminate the “root causes” of the war.

American President Donald Trump, during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, stated that the Russian dictator’s plans for Donbas remained unchanged. That is, Putin, as before, demands that Ukraine cede the entire territory of Donbas. In turn, the Russian Federation will stop advancing in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, effectively freezing the line of contact.

Instead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again rejected the idea of transferring the territory of Donbas to the Russians. The Ukrainian president’s position has not changed, as he emphasized before the meeting between Trump and Putin that Ukraine would not consider territorial concessions.

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