Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian public would not accept a peace deal that requires Kyiv to unilaterally withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region – including areas Moscow has not been able to conquer in 12 years of war – and hand it over to Russia, according to an interview published by Axios on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
As Zelensky spoke to the US outlet, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were holding a third round of direct talks in Geneva, where control over the Donbas – comprising the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk – remains the central sticking point.
Zelensky said US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had told him Russia genuinely wants to end the war and urged him to coordinate accordingly ahead of the talks. However, the Ukrainian leader said he remains skeptical and cautioned against trying to pressure him into presenting what Ukrainians would see as an “unsuccessful story” of peace.
He described it as “not fair” that US President Donald Trump has publicly called on Ukraine, rather than Russia, to make concessions. While acknowledging Trump’s peacemaking efforts, Zelensky said lasting peace cannot be achieved by “giving victory” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky reiterated that Washington and Kyiv agree any peace agreement must be put to a national referendum.
If a deal involved Ukraine simply pulling out of the Donbas and relinquishing sovereignty over the territory Russia is still unable to conquer militarily, he believes voters would reject it. “Emotionally, people will never forgive this,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukrainians cannot understand why they would be asked to give up more land.
By contrast, he suggested that freezing the current front line without formally recognizing Russian sovereignty could receive public backing.
US mediators have reportedly proposed that Ukrainian forces withdraw from areas of the Donbas they still control and allow the territory to become a demilitarized “free economic zone,” though Washington has not taken a position on sovereignty.
Zelensky said he is open to discussing troop withdrawals only if Russia pulls back an equivalent distance.
