President Zelensky Affirms Ukraine Will Not Pull Its Troops From Donbas

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he would reject any Russian proposals to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the Donbas region in the east of the country.

The withdrawal of troops from the area is said to eliminate the Kyiv defensive line and pave the way for Moscow to launch further attacks.

President Zelensky said Russia's proposal was to stop its progress in other Ukrainian territories in exchange for Kyiv withdrawing its troops from the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk.

The Ukrainian president said his troops still control about 30 percent of the Donetsk region, or about 9,000 square kilometers, and have a heavily fortified defensive line and control the strategic highlands there.

"Any troop withdrawal will be the launch pad for Russia's new attack," he said.

"Putin will have open roads to the Zaporizhia and Dnipro regions. Also to Kharkiv," President Zelensky said.

"Teritorial issues cannot be separated from security guarantees," he said.

The Ukrainian leader told reporters the territorial issue had to be discussed after Russia agreed to a ceasefire, and security guarantees for Ukraine should be an integral part of the discussion.

Speaking ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, President Zelensky also reiterated that Ukraine should be involved in any talks on its own territory.

It is known that President Trump has hinted that regional exchanges may be part of any proposed peace deal.