Washington is pressuring Ukraine to withdraw completely from Donetsk and Luhansk without offering security guarantees or territorial concessions in return, according to a Ukrainian government source, raising fears that a deal could leave Kyiv exposed to further Russian demands.
The source, cited by RBC-Ukraine, described recent US actions — including restrictions on intelligence sharing and reduced Starlink speeds — as evidence of “arm-twisting” aimed at forcing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a settlement on Moscow’s terms.
“The Americans are saying; withdraw from Donbas, without offering anything in return,” the source said. “They do not understand that the Russians will then demand that we give up Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.”
The unverified account highlights Kyiv’s concern that a territorial concession could become the starting point for further demands rather than the basis of a durable peace.
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The source also suggested that Donald Trump was seeking to resolve domestic political difficulties through foreign policy at Ukraine’s expense. Some observers expect pressure to ease after the November 3 election, but Ukrainian officials remain sceptical that even a partial ceasefire can be secured before the vote — or by spring.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the prospect of withdrawing Ukrainian forces from Donbas, arguing that surrendering territory would abandon the people living there while failing to guarantee an end to Russian aggression.
“I want to be clear: I will never abandon Donbas and the 200,000 Ukrainians who live there,” he said. “Why should I? Because [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin makes it a condition for peace? And will he immediately put forward new demands after that? No, I will not tolerate that.”
Zelenskyy has also argued that Russia would need at least two more years to capture all of Donetsk Oblast, at a potential cost of about 800,000 soldiers.
The dispute exposes Kyiv’s central dilemma; whether accepting territorial losses could stop the fighting or merely give Moscow time and leverage to press for more. Without credible guarantees against renewed aggression, Ukrainian officials fear that a ceasefire could freeze the conflict without securing lasting peace.
Putin’s obsession with the Donbas has been at the heart of Russia’s war against Ukraine for more than a decade.
The Kremlin has repeatedly portrayed control of the eastern Ukrainian region as a historic mission, a strategic necessity and a justification for invasion.
But the battlefield reality is far more complicated. Even if Russia captures more territory in Donetsk and Luhansk, the question remains whether Moscow can achieve the kind of decisive victory Putin originally sought — and whether it can ever fully control a region that has become the most heavily contested battlefield in Europe.
The Donbas has become the centre of gravity of the war. For Putin, it is not simply about territory. It is about political symbolism, military positioning and the survival of his narrative that Russia is restoring its influence over lands it considers part of its historic sphere.
The Kremlin formally claimed to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, despite not fully controlling any of them at the time. Since then, Russian forces have poured enormous resources into trying to capture the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of the Donbas.
Yet the cost has been enormous.
Professor Michael Clarke said that Russia has already sacrificed more than a million casualties and many thousands are being killed or severely wounded with life changing injuries.
Putin’s war started on 24 February 2022 and in almost four years Russia only occupies 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
Russian is sustaining heavy losses in the city of Pokrovsk and it is estimated that between 700 and 800 are either being killed or wounded every day, this is just in that region.
Prof Clarke told Sky News, “If the Russians continue this grinding offensive and if they are prepared to take another half a million or a million casualties by, let’s say, September next year then they probably get the Donbas.
That’s how I would assess where the war is at the moment. They are already at over a million now.
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