The US links the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine with the withdrawal from Donbas, says Zelensky
The United States has made providing security guarantees to Ukraine conditional on Kiev ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters, warning that such a decision would pose a major security risk to Ukraine and, by extension, Europe.
Zelensky said that Washington, which is focused on the war with Iran, is pressuring Ukraine for a quick end to the war.
“The Americans are ready to complete these high-level guarantees once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelensky said, adding that such a withdrawal would compromise Ukraine's defense and give Russia strategic advantages.
According to Zelenskiy, US President Donald Trump is stepping up pressure on Kiev, while Washington's attention is focused on tensions in the Middle East.
“The Middle East certainly has an impact on President Trump and, I think, on his next steps. President Trump, unfortunately, in my view, continues to favor a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side,” he told Reuters.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In early January, Zelensky said the document on security guarantees between the US and Ukraine was “100 percent ready” to be signed, but after the recent talks in Miami between the US and Ukraine, he says there are still issues to be worked out.
Zelensky also said that Moscow, which has made peace conditional on Ukraine giving up its still-unconquered eastern territories, is counting on the US to lose interest and withdraw from the negotiations.
Russia continues to advance slowly in eastern Ukraine. Military analysts say it could take several years and require a significant mobilization of forces to fully conquer the region, which includes the so-called “Fortified Belt” of heavily fortified cities.
After the massive bombing of Ukrainian cities, Zelenskiy expressed gratitude for US military support that continues to flow, particularly for Patriot air defense systems, as demand for these missiles has increased amid the war in the Middle East.
“The deliveries have not been stopped. I am very grateful to President Trump and his team,” Zelenskiy said. “But this supply of Patriot missiles is not as important as we need it to be.”
Ukrainian officials have previously expressed fears that supplies of these systems could fall due to increased demand related to tensions with Iran.
At the same time, Zelensky said Ukraine was making progress in developing its own military capabilities, including long-range missiles and drones, which would allow it to strike targets inside Russia in response to shelling of Ukrainian cities.
The Financial Times reported in January that US security guarantees could depend on Ukraine withdrawing from parts of the Donbass, although the White House denied the reports at the time, calling them false.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly insisted that strong international safeguards are essential to ensure Russia's compliance with a peace agreement and prevent further aggression in the future.
