Ukrainian president warns territorial concessions would embolden Moscow as U.S.-Russia talks exclude Europe and focus shifts to key battle for Pokrovsk.
KYIV, Ukraine | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding Ukraine withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region it still controls as part of a proposed ceasefire — a condition Kyiv has flatly rejected.
Zelenskyy stressed that abandoning Ukrainian-held territory would be unconstitutional and strategically dangerous, arguing it would serve as a launchpad for future Russian offensives. “We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Our territories are illegally occupied,” Zelenskyy declared during a press briefing in Kyiv.
The demand reportedly surfaced during diplomatic back-channel talks led by the United States ahead of a high-stakes summit Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin. According to Zelenskyy, American officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, conveyed that Russia was prepared to end the war — but only if both sides made territorial concessions.
Europe Sidelined in Peace Talks
The proposed meeting format — a U.S.-Russia bilateral followed by a trilateral session with Ukraine — has left European Union leaders out of the core negotiations. This exclusion has alarmed Kyiv, which sees European involvement as crucial for securing long-term defense guarantees and sustained military funding.
EU leaders issued a joint statement Tuesday emphasizing that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine” and warning that “international borders must not be changed by force.” The bloc’s unity was undercut, however, by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Moscow’s closest ally in the EU, who refused to endorse the statement.
Military Pressure in Donetsk
On the ground, Russian forces are intensifying their assault on the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk. Open-source intelligence analysts warn the next 24–48 hours could prove decisive, with a Russian capture potentially crippling Ukraine’s supply routes in the east.
Ukraine’s military described the situation as “difficult, unpleasant, and dynamic,” with its forces repelling repeated Russian infiltration attempts. In a separate strike, a Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian military training facility killed one soldier and wounded 11 others.
Analysts say the Alaska summit — which Trump twice mistakenly referred to as being in Russia — could reshape the war’s trajectory. Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies cautioned that any U.S. acceptance of Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory would fracture the transatlantic alliance and embolden Kremlin ambitions beyond Ukraine.
“This is a profoundly alarming moment for Europe,” Gould-Davies said, warning that sanctions relief or territorial recognition could normalize Russia’s wartime gains and undermine international law.
With Russian control already extending over four Ukrainian regions, Zelenskyy insists that only Moscow’s strategic defeat — not a territorial compromise — can bring a durable peace.
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-- By Andre Leday and Michele Robinson
'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News writer Jasmine Thomas in London contributed to this report. Leticia Jacobs reported from Brussels.
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