Tension increased before the Trump-Putin meeting! Ukraine retaliated against Russia's demand; Zelensky clearly refused to vacate Donetsk

Russia-Ukraine war: Ahead of the crucial meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a big statement. Zelensky said on Tuesday (local time) that Moscow has demanded Kiev withdraw from the entire eastern region of Donetsk under the ceasefire agreement. Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine will neither retreat from Donetsk nor from any other region of the country, including Donbass. He termed it 'unconstitutional.' The Ukrainian president claimed that Putin had made this demand during a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Ukraine's firm stance on Donbass

Zelensky said, "Maybe Putin wants us to leave Donbass. That is, this was said not from the US side, but from Russia. We will not leave Donbass. We cannot do this. People forget that our territories have been occupied illegally." Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15, where the two leaders will discuss a ceasefire agreement. It is known that in February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine, which he tried to justify by citing security threats.

Proposal for regional swap rejected

Earlier, Trump had suggested that Russia and Ukraine could swap their territories, which Zelensky strongly rejected. Attacking Putin directly, he said that the Russian president is afraid of sanctions and he wants to "recover the highest price for stopping the killing."

The second partition is not acceptable : Zelensky

Zelensky reiterated that he would never accept another partition of Ukraine. He said, "We must end the war with a dignified peace, which is based on a clear and reliable security framework. Our partners are ready to help us in this."