Russia demands Ukraine withdraw from Donbas within 2 months, Zelensky says
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Moscow is giving Kyiv two months to withdraw from the Donbas region or face fresh demands in peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 31.
Russia is signaling to the U.S. that it could seize the region by force within that period, and would then demand "different conditions" in negotiations, Zelensky told journalists at the Bucha summit.
"I'm surprised how anyone could believe this," the president commented. He said Russia cannot seize Donbas militarily within two months and is therefore applying pressure in negotiations.
The status of the Donbas region has been a key sticking point in the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, which have largely stalled as Washington's focus shifted to the war with Iran.
Zelensky said he will attend the next round of Ukraine-U.S. talks to be held online April 1, alongside top Ukrainian security official Rustem Umerov and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Russia has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region — which has been partially occupied since the outbreak of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 — as its key condition.
Kyiv has ruled out ceding territory it currently holds and has urged a ceasefire along the current front line.
Ukraine still controls roughly one-quarter of Donetsk Oblast, including a strategically vital fortress belt, as well as a few footholds in Luhansk Oblast.
Last week, Zelensky alleged that the U.S.'s proposed security guarantees to Ukraine would be contingent on Kyiv withdrawing troops from Donbas. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the president's claim.
According to Zelensky, the next round of talks with the U.S. will focus on a possible "trilateral meeting." He will also present Kyiv's proposal for an energy truce with Russia, though Moscow has not signaled interest.
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