Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected Russia’s proposal for Ukraine to surrender parts of its territory in exchange for a ceasefire, warning that Moscow would use such territory as a staging ground for a future offensive.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. For the Russians, Donbas is a springboard for another offensive,” Zelensky stated.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, Zelensky expressed hope that former U.S. President Donald Trump, acting as a mediator, would remain impartial and not pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions. He said there was no indication that Russia was preparing for a genuine ceasefire, citing reports of sabotage groups advancing about 10 kilometers into the Donbas front line and intelligence pointing to planned new offensives in three sectors.
Zelensky warned that yielding approximately 90,000 square kilometers of currently contested Donbas territory would pose a severe strategic risk, as the region is heavily fortified and shields Ukraine’s central cities. He argued that there were no credible guarantees that Russian President Vladimir Putin would stop after taking Donbas, suggesting that cities like Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv could be targeted next.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated his call for a ceasefire along the existing front lines, prisoner exchanges, and the return of missing children before any negotiations on Ukraine’s future territorial and security arrangements.
Although Zelensky will not attend the Alaska summit, he voiced hope for a subsequent trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin—despite Putin’s reluctance to meet him directly. Zelensky accused Russia of seeking a “diplomatic victory” and using the meeting for political optics, while also waging an information campaign in U.S. media portraying Ukraine as losing the war.
In closing, Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing a new autumn offensive, with about 30,000 troops redeployed from the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine.
