US security guarantees for Ukraine are tied to Kiev ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a possible peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday.
“The Americans are ready to finalize these high-level guarantees as soon as Ukraine is ready to withdraw from the Donbas,” Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal that he warned could undermine both Ukrainian defense and broader European security.
Zelenskyy’s comments reflect growing pressure from President Donald Trump to quickly end the war, which is now entering its fourth year following the 2022 Russian invasion.
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Zelenskyy suggested that the administration’s approach is partly influenced by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
US security guarantees for Ukraine are tied to Kiev ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a possible peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The Middle East certainly has an impact on President Trump,” Zelenskyy said. “Unfortunately, in my opinion, President Trump is still opting for a strategy to put more pressure on the Ukrainian side.”
Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine took place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would finance defense in the long term.
Zelensky warned that leaving the Donbas would leave Russia with heavily fortified Ukrainian defense lines, weakening Kiev’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.
“I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees,” he said.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that leaving the Donbas would leave Russia with heavily fortified Ukrainian defense lines. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that full control of the Donbas is central to Moscow’s war aims. Although Russian forces have made gains, analysts cited by Reuters say progress has been slow and capturing the remaining territory could take a lot of time and manpower.
Zelensky also warned that Moscow is betting that Washington will lose interest if negotiations stall.
“Russia is counting on the United States not having the strength or patience to put an end to this,” he said.
Despite tensions over the negotiations, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for the continued supply of Patriot missile defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
“Deliveries to us have not stopped. I am very grateful to President Trump and his team,” he said, adding that supplies remain insufficient.
In parallel with the diplomatic push, Zelenskyy signaled a broader strategy to expand Ukraine’s role as a security provider, especially in the Middle East, where countries are seeking solutions to large-scale drone and missile threats.
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A cemetery worker prepares a burial vault at a military cemetery outside the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, May 25, 2023. (Seth Herald/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The United States has contacted us about its bases in Middle Eastern countries,” Zelenskyy wrote on Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also approached Ukraine.
He said Ukrainian teams are already sharing operational experiences on the ground, especially in countering massive drone attacks.
“No matter how many Patriots, THAADs or other air defense systems there are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough,” he wrote. “There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone attacks.”
Zelenskyy also indicated that Ukraine is exploring defense trade deals, offering to sell surplus systems and expertise while seeking access to air defense missiles it currently lacks.
“Finance is the scarcest resource today,” he wrote, noting that Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at about half capacity and needs additional financing to scale up drone production.
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Ukraine is exploring defense trade deals, the country’s president said. (Iryna Rybakova/Press Service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters)
In separate messages attached to a speech at a Joint Expeditionary Force summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s battlefield experiences could play a broader role in European and global security.
“We have this experience. …Let’s bring all this together even more,” he wrote, calling for deeper cooperation with European partners and warning that the continent must build its own capacity to produce air defense systems rather than relying on outside suppliers.
Reuters contributed to this story.
