More Ukrainian territory, Europe could be attacked next if Kyiv cedes land to Russia, Zelensky says
Russia would use Donbas to further invade Ukraine in a renewed assault and could attack Europe next, President Volodymyr Zelensky told French outlet Le Point in an interview published on Sept. 3.
"If, tomorrow, we somehow left Donbas, which will not happen, we would open up an unprotected space for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, near a city of one and a half million inhabitants: Kharkiv. He would also seize the industrial center of Dnipro," Zelensky said.
"One thing is certain, we have not lost. We must look at the situation clearly: the second-largest army in the world has come to annihilate us, our history, and our identity. And this is not their first attempt. Several times in history, the Russian Empire has struck blows at the independence of our people," he said.
Russia has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, which consists of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Moscow first occupied the far-eastern region in 2014.
"It's very simple. Some media outlets claim that if Ukrainian soldiers left the eastern regions of our country, peace would be restored. This is not true," Zelensky said.
The Kremlin reportedly signalled to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that it would be open to freezing the frontline in its war against Ukraine if Kyiv surrendered the rest of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to Russia.
"Putin invaded Crimea (in 2014) to use it as a springboard and encircle the south of our country. That is, to prepare for another offensive. He invaded part of the east of our country in 2014 to use it as a springboard to completely occupy these regions," Zelensky said.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 used Belarus and Ukraine's southeastern regions as launching pads for its assaults across the country.
Zelensky noted the same could be done to attack the rest of Europe next if Ukraine were to fall to Russian soldiers.
"If Putin were to succeed in taking over our entire country, he would use it as a springboard in the same way. Whether he does so or not will depend on Europe's" strength, Zelensky said.
Despite sanctions from Ukraine's allies, Moscow is still able to wage its war, he noted.
"The pressure from Western partners is not strong enough economically; Putin still has financial reserves," he added.
Zelensky noted that security guarantees solely from Europe are enough to contain a Russian offensive, but that guarantees from the U.S. are necessary to end Russia's aggression and prevent a renewed war.
"Europe's security guarantees may not be enough. We need an alliance between Europe and the United States," he said.
Ukraine, alongside its European allies and Washington, has been discussing how to end Russia's war against Ukraine in recent weeks amid intensified efforts from U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a peace deal.
"The Russians came to try to erase our identity, to rewrite history. We are fighting to preserve our identity. Our fight is not just for territory. It is for Ukraine, which is made up of pieces of history and people," Zelensky said as Russia continues its advances on the front line.
