Zelenskyy: Putin will not stop at Donbas and may advance on Dnipro and Kharkiv
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not stop if he gains control over Donbas and may attempt to seize other Ukrainian cities, including Dnipro and Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy made the remarks in The Rest is Politics hosted by Alastair Campbell, according to The Guardian.
The Ukrainian president commented on the trilateral negotiation process aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and said that, in his view, the team of U.S. President Donald Trump has not fully understood Russia’s demands and objectives.
He suggested this may be due to the fact that Trump’s negotiators — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — have spent considerable time in contact with Putin and his inner circle.
“U.S. representatives visited Moscow five times, while there were no visits to Kyiv,” Zelenskyy noted.
He added that he understands Putin’s motivations and strategic intentions better than the White House.
“We must acknowledge that, to some extent, Americans believe that Donbas does not mean much to us,” Zelenskyy said.
“They do not want to admit that Putin will lie to them and that he may continue the occupation even after such steps. Americans believe they can trust Putin,” he stressed.
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has held several rounds of negotiations with Russia. The key unresolved issue remains control over the non-occupied parts of Donbas. Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, Ukraine proposes freezing positions along the front line, while the United States supports the creation of a free economic zone in these territories.
Earlier, Zelenskyy invited the U.S. negotiating delegation to visit Kyiv for talks.
Zelenskyy also explained the absence of a date for the next trilateral negotiations by citing U.S. security restrictions and Russia’s reluctance to meet in Washington.
