Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected what he described as a proposal from Vladimir Putin to hand over the remaining parts of Donetsk to Russia as part of a ceasefire deal.
According to Zelenskyy, the Russian leader is seeking full control of Donetsk — effectively the whole of the Donbas region — in return for halting hostilities.
Currently, Ukraine retains control over roughly 30% of Donetsk, equivalent to about 9,000 square kilometres, while Russia holds the remainder. Donetsk borders Russia and, along with neighbouring Luhansk, forms the Donbas industrial heartland. Moscow already controls 99% of Luhansk, according to Sky News.
The Ukrainian president stressed that Kyiv would reject the plan outright, warning that such territorial concessions would undermine the country’s defences.
He argued that relinquishing its current positions would dismantle Ukraine’s “fortress belt” — a fortified line running along the Donetsk frontline — which analysts at the Institute for the Study of War say would take Russia years of costly fighting to breach.
Zelenskyy cautioned that retreating from this belt would leave Ukraine exposed, especially in western Donetsk, where the borders with Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk consist largely of open, more vulnerable terrain.
The president told reporters that any talks on territorial matters should only take place after Russia has agreed to a ceasefire, with security guarantees for Ukraine forming an essential part of those negotiations.
He added that agreeing to Putin’s conditions now would reward aggression and risk emboldening Moscow to push further into Ukrainian territory in the future.
Zelenskyy linked the timing of Russia’s push in eastern Ukraine to diplomatic developments abroad, suggesting the escalation may be intended to coincide with talks between Putin and former US president Donald Trump.
Kyiv has repeatedly warned that freezing the conflict along current lines would not bring lasting peace, arguing instead for a full Russian withdrawal from occupied territories.
Western allies have backed Ukraine’s position in principle, but there are divisions over how and when negotiations with Moscow should be pursued.
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