President Volodymyr Zelensky said that ceding Donbas would not guarantee peace for Ukraine, as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could use such a concession merely as a pause before launching another aggression.
The Ukrainian President made the remarks in an interview with DR Nyheder.
“Giving up Ukrainian land for the sake of peace is simply an abstract idea. This is not just about reality, but more about philosophy. Putin talked about Donbas, but then decided to occupy Kyiv, our capital. His words were about Donbas, but the reality was about Kyiv. He constantly claimed that he was protecting Russian-speaking people, but then tortured hundreds and thousands of people in Bucha and elsewhere. So it was never about Russian-speaking people,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky added that when the American side proposed exchanging Donbas for security guarantees, he asked for clarification on what exactly those guarantees would involve. In particular, he wanted to know whether they would include NATO membership.
When US representatives suggested security guarantees similar to those provided by NATO, the President stressed the need to clearly define their substance, since Ukraine was being asked to give an unequivocal answer regarding Donbas. He also questioned what would happen if Ukraine received security guarantees without becoming a NATO member.
“Our nuclear weapons were taken away. I am not a supporter of nuclear weapons. I think the world would be better without them. But the Russians took our nuclear weapons, didn't they? They did. Then they blocked our integration into Europe, then prevented us from joining NATO. And ultimately, they occupied our territory. That is why this is an abstract question. Nobody believes Putin will stop if we leave Donbas. He will take a pause. And then he will come back in one, two or five years. And who will be to blame?” Zelensky said.
