Zelenskyy rejects Donbas concession, warns it invites another Russian invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any proposal to cede the Donbas region for peace, warning that such a concession would only give Russia time to prepare for another invasion. Zelenskyy stated that no security arrangement could be trusted without clear and enforceable guarantees against future Russian aggression, citing Moscow's past actions, including the 2022 attempt to capture Kyiv despite claims of focusing on Donbas. He questioned whether surrendering territory would satisfy Putin or encourage further ambitions. Zelenskyy also revealed that American representatives proposed exchanging Donbas for security guarantees similar to, but not including, NATO membership. He referenced Ukraine's 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where it gave up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances that Russia later violated with its 2014 Crimea annexation and 2022 invasion.