Volodymyr Zelensky says Putin "will pause" and return if Ukraine cedes Donbas
“They took our nuclear weapons … Russians took our nuclear weapons, didn’t they? They did. Then they stopped our integration into Europe, then prevented us from being in NATO. And in the end they occupied us. This is why it’s an abstract question. Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years. And who will be guilty?”
Reported November 10, 2026 by interfax.com.ua. Checked word for word against that report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ceding Donbas to Russia would not secure peace or safety, arguing that Vladimir Putin cannot be relied on to stop. In an interview with DR Nyheder, excerpts of which were posted on the Ukrainian presidential Telegram channel, Zelenskyy pointed to earlier Russian actions involving Ukraine’s disarmament, European integration, NATO membership and occupation as reasons for skepticism. He said Putin could halt hostilities and later resume them after one, two or five years. Zelenskyy also recalled Putin’s focus on Donbas before Russia’s move on Kyiv, and he rejected claims that the war was about protecting Russian speakers, citing alleged killings in Bucha and elsewhere. Zelenskyy advocated holding current positions, stabilizing the contact line and shifting to negotiations, while acknowledging unresolved questions about monitoring and demilitarization.
- interfax.com.ua ↗︎10 NOV 2026