Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on rumors that one of the possible conditions for receiving security guarantees from the United States allegedly involves the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from part of the Donetsk region, which remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Reactions from Ukrainian and American Sides
In response to a related question, Zelensky emphasized that such discussions are only taking place at the level of political discourse and have not been directly communicated by former US President Donald Trump. According to the president, such security guarantees must also be confirmed by the United States Congress.
“I have heard about this; some politicians have raised it in political circles. I have not heard this directly from President Trump, and these are his security guarantees and those of the United States Congress.”
Zelensky also stressed that he understands there is a certain “price” for obtaining security guarantees from the US, but the question is what that price might be.
US Position on Territorial Concessions
Earlier in February, the Financial Times reported that the American administration allegedly signaled to Kyiv the possibility of providing security guarantees in exchange for Ukraine’s agreement to sign a peace treaty that would involve ceding Donbas to Russia. However, this information was firmly denied by the White House.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated that the US is not making such demands, and their role is solely to facilitate dialogue between the parties to achieve a peace agreement. She criticized the Financial Times for spreading anonymous, false information.
Furthermore, sources familiar with Washington’s official position stated that the US is not attempting to impose any territorial concessions on Ukraine.
It is worth noting that on January 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the importance of the territorial issue within the so-called “Anchorage formula,” although the details of this formula remain unknown.