Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Russia demands Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbas region within two months. He indicated that this ultimatum is part of a broader narrative that both Russia and its partners believe will lead to an end to hostilities.
During a press conference at the Bucha summit, Zelensky remarked, “Russia is asserting that they will capture eastern Ukraine within two months, and if Ukraine does not withdraw, they will take control of Donbas, leading to new conditions.” He emphasized that Ukraine is open to a ceasefire in the areas currently held by its forces.
Recently, Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, called on the United States to pressure Ukraine to adhere to agreements made between the U.S. and Russia in Anchorage last August. Ushakov noted that the U.S. had proposed several interesting and useful suggestions for a peaceful resolution, although he did not specify what these proposals entail.
He refrained from detailing the agreements discussed at the Anchorage summit, but Russian officials often reference a “spirit of Anchorage” or a “mutual understanding” that they claim was reached between former U.S. President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin, which they allege Ukraine is obstructing.
Typically, this context involves discussions about transferring full control of the Donbas region, encompassing Donetsk and Luhansk, to Russia—a move that Ukraine opposes.
In an interview with Reuters published on March 25, Zelensky stated that the U.S. had conditioned security guarantees on Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas. Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of the Russian president, expressed satisfaction with Zelensky’s acknowledgment that the U.S. would only provide security guarantees if Ukraine vacated the region. Dmitriev remarked that Zelensky’s comments were encouraging.
However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuted Zelensky’s claims, asserting that Washington had not imposed any conditions for Ukraine’s military presence in Donbas in exchange for security guarantees. In response, Zelensky suggested that his remarks represented only a fraction of the broader situation.
Throughout January and February, multiple trilateral meetings involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia were held to discuss the conclusion of the conflict, but no specific outcomes were reported. Nonetheless, a meeting on February 5 resulted in an agreement for a prisoner exchange, the first in five months.
A subsequent trilateral meeting scheduled for early March in Abu Dhabi was postponed indefinitely due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that Russia is demanding Ukraine's withdrawal from the Donbas region within two months. This ultimatum has raised concerns about the future of negotiations and security guarantees from the United States.