Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has revealed that the United States is conditioning its offer of security guarantees for a peace settlement on Kyiv ceding complete control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia, a disclosure that lays bare the stark terms confronting Ukraine as ceasefire diplomacy intensifies. Zelenskiy made the disclosure in a Reuters interview, saying Washington’s focus on its own conflict with Iran is shaping the pressure being applied on Kyiv to bring a swift end to the four-year war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Two questions remain unresolved at the centre of security guarantee talks: who would fund Ukraine’s future weapons purchases to sustain its military deterrent, and how allied nations would respond to any renewed Russian aggression after a deal is signed. Zelenskiy said he had not participated directly in the three rounds of high-level trilateral talks held this year in Abu Dhabi and Geneva involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine, but described himself as understanding the underlying American position. Zelenskiy warned that withdrawing from Donbas would hand Russia strategic defensive positions and compromise the security of both Ukraine and Europe. He stressed that the eastern region is itself a component of Ukraine’s security architecture, not a concession available for exchange. Russia has consistently demanded control over territory in Donbas still held by Ukrainian forces. Military analysts say it could take several years and significant manpower to fully conquer the region, which includes a so-called Fortress Belt of heavily fortified cities. Zelenskiy questioned whether Russia was prepared to sacrifice hundreds of thousands more soldiers to capture the approximately 6,000 square kilometres of Donbas it does not yet hold, and repeated that a three-way summit involving himself, Trump and Putin was the only viable path to resolving both territorial and security questions. A fourth round of trilateral talks planned for this month was postponed following the outbreak of the Iran conflict. Zelenskiy acknowledged that Russia was banking on Washington losing interest in the negotiations if they stalled. Zelenskiy thanked the Trump administration for maintaining deliveries of Patriot missile defence systems despite increased demand driven by the Gulf conflict, but noted that the volume of supply remained insufficient for Ukraine’s needs.