Withdrawal of troops from Donbas, peace talks and meeting with Putin: Zelensky made new statements in an interview
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press conference with Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, on the day of the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a number of important statements about the withdrawal of troops and the negotiation process in a new interview with Axios.
According to Zelensky, US President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to make territorial concessions in order to achieve peace, but this is “dishonest.”
He emphasized that the path to peace does not lie through the ability to “defeat” Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, although the president acknowledged that it is probably easier to pressure Ukraine than the Russian Federation.
Zelensky expressed hope that “this is just a negotiating tactic” by Trump, adding that the best option to move forward in the negotiation process is to meet with Putin. The president said he had instructed the Ukrainian team to raise the issue in the talks.
Currently, the most difficult element of the peace talks is the territorial issue. Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will not agree to a peace agreement with Russia if it includes additional territorial concessions .
However, he is convinced that society will agree to an agreement that will fix the line of combat contact in the East.
At the same time, the president noted that Ukraine does not plan to withdraw troops unless the Russian Federation takes similar steps.
Among other things, the American side proposes to withdraw troops from the controlled areas of Donbas and consider them as a “free economic zone.” As noted, in this case, the issue of sovereignty remains open.
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