Zelenskyy refuses to withdraw troops from Donetsk region at Putin's request

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OF UKRAINE

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to comply with Vladimir Putin's demand to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Donetsk region.

Reuters reports this, citing its own sources.

According to the agency, during a briefing with Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump said that the Russian leader had offered to freeze most of the front lines in exchange for Ukraine's transfer of the entire Donetsk region to Russian control.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected this condition, stressing that Kyiv was not ready to withdraw from the unoccupied part of Donetsk region even for the sake of a ceasefire.

«We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do that. For the Russians, Donbas is a springboard for a new offensive in the future,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Trump and Putin meet in Alaska

On 15 August, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. The talks lasted more than two hours. The US and Russian presidents did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine, but, according to Donald Trump, progress can be made in this direction. It is possible that another summit could be held soon and President Zelenskyy could join it.

After the meeting, European leaders and top EU officials issued a joint statement. They declared their readiness for a trilateral summit with the US, Europe and Ukraine, and said that Washington was ready to provide Kyiv with security guarantees.

On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to visit Washington to discuss with US President Donald Trump the details of ending the war and further steps to ensure Ukraine's security.