Zelenskyy rules out ceding Donbas to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine does not want to give up Donbas and, moreover, will not recognise it as Russian.

Zelenskyy made the remarks while answering questions from the media, Caliber.Az reports per RBC-Ukraine.

The Ukrainian head of state said that the United States has proposed creating a “free economic zone.”

“We do not want to give up our Donbas. The Americans want to find a compromise—they are proposing a free economic zone. Let me emphasise once again: a free economic zone does not mean it would be under Russian control. These are important aspects for me of any Donbas format,” the president said.

Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine will not recognise the temporarily occupied part of Donbas as Russian. At the same time, he added that the issue of the territories is being discussed.

“Neither de jure nor de facto will we recognise Donbas as Russian—the part that is temporarily occupied. Nevertheless, we will discuss the issue of the territory. You know that it is one of the key issues, and so far we have no consensus on this,” the head of state concluded.

The most recent talks on ending the war in Ukraine took place on December 14-15 in Berlin between Zelenskyy, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and European leaders. The leaders, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, represented the most intensive multilateral effort yet to refine a U.S.-backed peace framework. Participants included French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The talks built on prior U.S.-mediated shuttles and aimed to align positions before potential year-end breakthroughs.

Participants described "real progress," with U.S. officials claiming 90–95% of a 20-point draft peace plan resolved. The talks refined Trump's initial proposals, shifting from demands for territorial concessions toward compromise formulas emphasising security and economic arrangements. 

European leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, opposed any repetition of the “Minsk” agreements, and suggested considering a temporary Christmas ceasefire. The discussions also addressed the possible deployment of multinational forces, mechanisms to monitor a ceasefire, and Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction while maintaining frozen Russian assets.

U.S. officials said peace is “closer than ever,” though the territorial issue remains the most challenging. Ukraine continues to insist that any territorial concessions are unacceptable. 

However, no final agreement was reached.

By Khagan Isayev