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Zelensky rejects ‘proposal’ to give up eastern Donbas region to Putin in exchange for peace
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Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal potentially brokered by Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Mr Putin wanted the remaining 30 per cent, or 3,500 square miles of the region, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
But Mr Zelensky vowed Ukraine would “never leave” the Donbas and warned Mr Putin’s troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” he said.
Mr Zelensky learned of Russia‘s position after holding a call with Mr Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Mr Witkoff’s bilateral meeting with Mr Putin.
Mr Witkoff told Zelensky that Russia was ready to end the war and that there should be territorial concessions from both sides.
Mr Trump will meet the Russian leader in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, on Friday, for what he described as “feel out” meeting.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that the upcoming meeting between the two leaders will be a “listening exercise” for Trump.
She added that she is “very confident” the US president will remain optimistic after the summit in Anchorage in Alaska on Friday.
“Only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present, so this is for the president to go and get a more firm understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.”
The White House official also said there are plans in the works for Trump to visit Russia in the future.
Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal potentially brokered by Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Putin wanted the the remaining 30 per cent, or 3,500 square miles, of the eastern region which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
Losing the rest of Donetsk would give Russia control of almost the entirety of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland that also includes neighbouring Luhansk.
Zelensky vowed Ukraine would “never leave” the Donbas and warned Putin’s troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” he said.
Zelensky said he learned of Russia’s position after holding a call with Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Witkoff’s bilateral meeting with Putin.
Debris from a destroyed drone sparked a small fire that was later extinguished at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, the local administration said this morning.
“There are casualties reported,” officials said. “The fire was promptly extinguished. Emergency and special services are working at the scene,” they said.
The Slavyansk refinery is a private plant with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day. It supplies fuel for both domestic use and export.
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