The war in Ukraine enters a new phase marked not only by the military front, but because of diplomatic pressure. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, sends a direct message: kyiv is not willing to give up Donbas as part of an eventual peace agreement, although that is one of the options that are being floated by Washington and Moscow.
The conversation took place in kyiv, in a particularly tense context. Russia maintains an intensive campaign of drone attacks, while international attention is now shared with the war in the Middle East. This new scenario is worrying in Ukraine: less global focus can translate into less support.
Donbas, a red line
The most delicate point of the interview is the territory. As Zelensky explains, both Russia and sectors of the United States propose a way out What would happen through the Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees. An option that the president rejects outright.
“We cannot abandon those positions,” he says.. And it is not just a symbolic or political issue. The Donbas, he emphasizes, concentrates some of the country’s main defensive lines, fortifications built over years that act as a barrier against a Russian advance.
Giving them up, he warns, would open the door to a rapid progression of Moscow’s troops, either immediately or in the medium term. “It would be leaving the path prepared,” he maintains. For Zelensky, furthermore, accepting this exchange would mean replacing tangible guarantees – built on the ground – with external promises whose fulfillment is not assured.
Added to this is another key factor: the morale of the army. After years of resistance, withdrawing troops from these positions could have a direct impact on the cohesion and confidence of the Ukrainian forces.
Fewer weapons, more uncertainty
The international context does not help. Zelensky warns that the war in the Middle East is diverting resources and attention. The United States, the main supplier of weapons to Ukraine during much of the conflict, is now involved on another front.
That has practical consequences: although no formal cuts have been announced, kyiv perceives a slowdown in arms shipments. And in a war where air defense is key to protecting cities and infrastructure, any delay can be critical.
In parallel, the decision to partially ease sanctions on Russian oil is also worrying. According to Zelensky, in a few weeks Moscow has significantly increased its income, which reinforces its ability to sustain the war effort.
Money, drones and wear
Beyond the terrain, war is also played out in the economy. Ukraine needs financing to sustain its military industry, especially in an area that has become central: drones.
Zelensky insists that the priority is not only army salaries, but the production of military technology, from long-range drones to interceptor systems. Without that industrial muscle, he warns, the capacity for resistance is weakened.
This is where Europe comes into play. kyiv expects a loan of 90 billion euros approved by 2025, but blocked by Viktor Orbán. The Ukrainian president asks to unblock these funds or find an alternative, because the impact of this delay would be direct on the front.
A war that does not advance, but neither ends
Despite the intensity of the fighting, the front has been practically frozen for months. However, Zelensky rejects the idea of stagnation in negative terms. In his opinion, Russia’s failure to advance is, in itself, a defeat for Moscow.
The human cost also weighs. According to figures managed by kyiv, Russian losses far exceed Ukrainian losses in recent months, in some sectors with ratios of up to eight to one. A wear and tear that, in the long term, could weaken Russian offensive capacity.
Negotiate without giving in
The Ukrainian president does not close the door to negotiationsbut it sets clear limits. He distrusts Vladimir Putin’s supposed desire to end the war and believes that international pressure remains insufficient.
In this balance between diplomacy and resistance, Zelensky leaves a central idea: peace cannot be built at the expense of the country’s future security. And, in that scheme, Donbas is not just territory. It is, in his words, a guarantee built “with the hands and effort of the army itself.”
Because, after more than four years of war, the priority remains the same: maintaining independence. Everything else, even the word “victory”remains in the background compared to that objective.
