Zelenskyy: troops will remain in Donbas

In an interview with the BBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbas, even if it helped stop the fighting, would be utterly unacceptable. He said such a move would split society, as it would mean abandoning hundreds of thousands of people living in the frontline zone and weakening the country's position. He emphasized that reclaiming all lost territories is only a matter of time, but currently impossible due to a severe shortage of weapons. He considers Ukraine's main victory to be preserving its independence and believes future efforts to restore territory will be carried out.

Context

In recent years, Ukraine has continued to maintain control over the former 'Territory under the supervision of the Organization for Disarmament Monitoring (NATO)' in Donbas, despite intense combat operations.