The Russian Federation has issued a new demand to Ukraine – to leave the territory of Donbas within the next two months. This was announced by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press conference at the Bucha Summit.
This is reported by Finway
Recent statements and positions of the parties
According to the head of state, Russia and its partners are considering the possibility of ending the war or its active phase only on the condition that Ukraine withdraws from the eastern part of the country. Zelensky clarified that new deadlines have emerged: the Russian Federation claims its intentions to seize eastern Ukraine, particularly Donbas, within two months. In this context, Ukraine is being offered to leave the region, supposedly to stop the war. At the same time, if Kyiv does not agree to these terms, Russia threatens to impose even stricter demands after capturing Donbas.
“So far, what Russia wants and what our partners are spreading – they see the end of the war or the active phase of the war when Ukraine withdraws from the East. The question is that new deadlines have already emerged. They say they will capture eastern Ukraine, capture Donbas in two months. And so there are two months to withdraw. And the war will end. But if Ukraine does not withdraw, then Russia will capture Donbas and then there will be other conditions. If they can capture Donbas, why do they say they will go further later, there will be other conditions,” Zelensky said during the press conference at the Bucha Summit.
The President of Ukraine also emphasized that Kyiv is ready for compromise, proposing a ceasefire on the positions where Ukrainian troops are currently located.
International context and trilateral negotiations
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov recently called on the United States to influence Ukraine to fulfill agreements that, according to him, were reached between the presidents of the United States and Russia at the summit in Anchorage last August. He added that the U.S. had proposed several interesting and useful solutions for a peaceful settlement, but they are not currently being implemented. The details of these proposals have not been disclosed by the Russian side, nor has the exact content of the agreements from Anchorage, although Russian officials often refer to the so-called “spirit of Anchorage.”
In this context, Russia usually voices the demand for the transfer of control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Ukraine categorically opposes.
In an interview with Reuters, President Zelensky stated that the U.S. allegedly demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees from Washington. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied these claims, calling them false. In response, Zelensky stated that he had revealed only “a small part of the iceberg” regarding negotiations with the American side.
Russian President’s Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev expressed satisfaction with Zelensky’s position, emphasizing that security guarantees from the U.S. are only possible if Ukrainian troops are withdrawn from Donbas.
In January and February, several rounds of trilateral negotiations took place between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia regarding the end of the war, but no specific results have been officially announced. At the same time, during the meeting on February 5, the parties agreed to conduct a prisoner exchange – the first in the last five months.
The trilateral meeting scheduled for early March in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi was postponed due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East. The postponement of the negotiations left the question of further steps to resolve the situation in Donbas open.