A withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts would amount to a strategic loss for Ukraine and its Armed Forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the national telethon.
According to the president, the demand to leave the Donbas looks as if someone is attempting to negotiate Ukraine's fate without Ukraine itself. Zelenskyy stressed that such a step would mean the loss of fortified positions, a weakening of the defense, and additional risks for the army.
Why the urban belt matters
The president argued that even if new fortifications could theoretically be built after a retreat, the urbanised zone still provides a stronger defensive advantage than lines in open fields. He also pointed to the moral dimension, noting that such a withdrawal would weaken the Ukrainian military.
The Donbas is the industrial region of eastern Ukraine made up of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, partially occupied by Russia since 2014 and a central battleground of the full-scale war launched in 2022. Its dense network of fortified cities — built up over a decade of fighting — anchors Ukraine's eastern defensive line and shields the rest of the country from Russian advances westward.
Russia and the prospect of ending the war
Zelenskyy also said that Russia does not want the war to end — not even in the format that could currently bring it to the fastest conclusion. According to him, that option is a halt to hostilities along the contact line, which would first stop the killings and only then open the way to diplomatic steps.
