Ukraine rejects Donbas concessions, calls for face-to-face talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios that the Ukrainian people would reject any peace deal requiring Kyiv to unilaterally withdraw from the eastern Donbas and cede it to Russia.

His remarks came as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met for a third round of talks in Geneva, with control of the Donbas—the eastern region of which about 10% remains under Ukrainian control—emerging as the primary sticking point.

US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have told Zelenskyy that Russia genuinely wants to end the war, and he should coordinate closely with his team. Zelenskyy, however, remained skeptical. “They shouldn’t try to force me to sell a vision of peace my people would see as an ‘unsuccessful story,’” he said.

Trump said twice in recent days that the onus was on Zelenskyy to make concessions. "I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Zelensky said.

He also thanked Trump for his peacemaking efforts, and said his conversations with Kushner and Witkoff don't involve the kind of pressure Trump uses in public. "We respect each other," he said, adding that he was "not such a person" who folds easily under pressure.

Zelenskyy reiterated that the best way to find a breakthrough on territory is for Putin to meet him face to face. He said he'd told his team to raise a future leader-level meeting in Geneva.

On the proposed US plan, which would create a demilitarized “free economic zone” in parts of Donbas, Zelenskyy said he is willing to discuss withdrawals if Moscow pulls troops back an equivalent distance and rejects Russia’s sovereignty claims over the area.

Zelenskyy stressed that any deal must be approved in a referendum. “Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive… me, they will not forgive [the US],” he said. Freezing the current frontline, he added, could gain public approval.

The Russian delegation, now led by Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, has complicated political talks, while military-to-military discussions in Abu Dhabi—including a US-led drone ceasefire mechanism—have been more productive.

Trilateral talks in Geneva are expected to continue Wednesday as negotiators seek progress on the contentious Donbas issue.

By Vafa Guliyeva