Zelensky: Ceding Donbas to Russia would only delay Putin's next attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that ceding the unoccupied part of Donbas to Russia would not stop Vladimir Putin, but would only give him time to prepare for a new attack. In an interview with DR Nyheder, Zelensky said no one believes Putin would halt the war if Ukraine gave up Donbas, arguing he would pause and return within one, two, or five years. He dismissed the idea of trading land for peace as abstract, noting Putin's rhetoric about Donbas preceded attempts to occupy Kyiv and atrocities in Bucha. Zelensky also revealed that when Americans proposed exchanging Donbas for security guarantees similar to, but not including, NATO membership, he questioned the vagueness of such an offer. He recalled that Russia took Ukraine's nuclear weapons and blocked its integration into Europe and NATO before the occupation.