Zelenskyy on Ukrainian troops leaving Donbas: We can't withdraw from our territory

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any option of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from eastern Donbas to secure a peace deal as talks with Russia are ongoing.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Japanese news agency Kyodo News

Quote: "We can't withdraw from our territory. It's our real defending line."

Details: Agency recalled that Russia seeks full control over Donbas and is demanding withdrawal of Ukrainian troops.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier he cannot support the idea of making concessions to Russia over Donbas and added that he is not sure Ukrainians would agree to this even in very difficult circumstances.
• On the morning of 18 February, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), said the second day of Ukraine-US-Russia talks on resolving Russia's war against Ukraine had begun in Geneva.
• Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said later that the 18 February round of trilateral talks in Geneva on Russia's war against Ukraine was finished. He said the talks lasted about two hours, they were difficult, but business-like.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sides made some progress in the military area of negotiations that day and no such progress had been made in the political area.
• He added that during the negotiations in Geneva, the parties have agreed that monitoring of compliance with a ceasefire would be carried out with the participation of the United States.

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