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Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t withdraw from Donbas, 'won’t lose dignity' as peace talks stall on territory

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

19 February 2026 09:11 (UTC +04:00)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated on Feb. 18 that Ukraine will not cede territory to Russia or withdraw from land it currently controls, as U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion remain deadlocked over territory ahead of the war’s fourth anniversary, APA reports, citing KYIV INDEPENDENT.

"Thousands, dozens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed on this direction, defending this part of Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan. "We have to understand that Donbas is a part of our independence. It's a part of our values. It's not about the land. It's not only about territories. It's about people."

Zelenskyy said negotiators have made more progress on technical discussions about how a potential ceasefire could be monitored than on political issues, while emphasizing that any durable settlement would require strong security guarantees and European involvement.