“It’s the most fortified part with the most capable forces,” Zelenskyy said, explaining why conceding the region is a non-negotiable for Ukraine. “It’s like a fortress … and if we withdraw our troops and he will have all the Donbas, who can guarantee that he won’t move 90 kilometers further on Kharkiv, he always wanted Kharkiv,” he said.
On Tuesday, those concerns were underscored by a Russian strike on civilians in the Donetsk region. A glide bomb hit the village of Yarova, less than 10 kilometers from the front line, killing at least 21 people and wounding nearly two dozen others as they waited to collect their pensions, Zelenskyy and local officials said.
Calling the attack “frankly brutal,” Zelenskyy urged the international community to increase pressure on Russia.
“The world must not remain inactive. A response from the United States is needed. A response from Europe is needed. A response from the G20 is needed. Strong action is needed so that Russia stops bringing death,” he said.
Zelenskyy’s remarks on Donbas follow reports that Putin had presented to Trump a peace plan during the U.S.-Russia bilateral meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, under which Ukraine would cede unoccupied territory in exchange for Moscow’s written pledge not to invade again.
Reacting to the presidential summit, Zelenskyy said “it was a pity” Ukraine had not been invited and that “Trump gave Putin what he wanted.”