The United States has made its offer of security guarantees for a peace deal in Ukraine conditional on Kiev ceding the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters.
“Given that the Middle East definitely has an influence on President Trump, I think about his next steps … unfortunately, in my opinion, he still chooses a strategy to put more pressure on the Ukrainian side,” Zelenskyy said, emphasizing the impact of the US focus on its conflict with Iran.
Zelensky warns that the withdrawal of Donbas would endanger security
Zelenskyy stressed that robust security guarantees from international partners are essential to ensure that Russia cannot resume hostilities in the future if a peace deal is agreed.
“The Americans are ready to complete these guarantees at a high level as soon as Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbass,” he told reporters.
“Such a withdrawal would threaten the security of Ukraine and, by extension, Europe, as it would cede the region’s strong defense positions to Russia.”
The Ukrainian president noted that Russia is consistently demanding territory in the Donbass that is still under Ukrainian control and “is betting that Washington will lose interest in talks and leave.”
Progress and challenges in security safeguards
Zelenskyy said the document on security guarantees between Ukraine and the US was “100% ready” in January and is awaiting signature. However, after recent talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Miami, he indicated that “there is still work to be done”.
Patriot missile deliveries continue amid Iran conflict
Despite the US military’s increased focus on the Persian Gulf, Zelensky thanked the Trump administration for maintaining supplies of Patriot missile defense systems, which are key to intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
“We were not stopped in deliveries. I am very grateful to President Trump and his team,” Zelenskyy said. “But this stockpile of Patriot missiles is not as large as we need.
