Zelenskyy compares Donbas withdrawal risk to Afghanistan pullout

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called proposals for Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk region without a fight “dangerous,” saying Russia’s true ambitions extend far beyond this region.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

At the news conference of the Munich Security Conference on February 14, he noted that the Russian Federation is attempting to convince the U.S. that “peace will come as soon as possible if Ukraine independently withdraws its troops from Donbas,” insisting this is virtually their only demand.

“I think they have never pursued any goals other than the occupation of Ukraine. At a minimum, they want Donbas — Donetsk Oblast — but 100% of it. They want to sell this as a victory to their own society, or perhaps not even to society […] but to himself [accused of a war crime by the International Criminal Court Vladimir Putin],” Zelenskyy said, adding that the Kremlin leader can “sell” any decision to Russian society.

He emphasized that Ukraine simply cannot withdraw from its own territory in exchange for its other sovereign territories where thousands of people live.

“It was a historical mistake that no one responded to Putin’s actions in 2014… Back then, his army came without Russian uniforms. This means they were still afraid. In 2022, they came already in uniform, with missiles… If we give him this opportunity to feel this victory — we do not know what he will do next,” Zelenskyy said, noting that he had presented these arguments to the USA.

He also emphasized that even with the potential presence of American military personnel or another contingent in a hypothetical neutral zone, no one would be able to fully control what happens in territories not controlled by Ukraine.

“We saw what happened in Afghanistan. I am not comparing these things, but I think that if Putin wants to come and occupy us, if they provoke something, there is a high probability that those people — let them not be Americans, but someone else — might leave. Of course, they won’t leave on their own — he [Putin] will provoke it, and they will leave. What follows will be a large-scale occupation of Ukraine and heavy losses,” Zelenskyy elaborated.

Zelenskyy also expressed hope that the Ukraine-United States-Russia negotiation process to end the war will not stall due to changes in the Russian negotiating team. New negotiations on Ukraine are planned for Geneva on February 17-18, during which Russia intends to send historian Vladimir Medinsky.

Previously, ZMINA reported that human rights defenders in Ukraine urged Zelenskyy to prioritize protection for war victims.