Sergiy Harmash Explains Why Ukraine Cannot Comply with Russia's Demand to Withdraw Troops from Donbas

In a recent interview with Radio NV, journalist and editor-in-chief of the publication Ostry, Sergiy Harmash, detailed why Ukraine cannot comply with Russia's demand to withdraw its troops from Donbas. Harmash emphasized that such a step would effectively mean recognizing the territory as part of the Russian Federation, which is absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine.

"I have a clear position: if we voluntarily withdraw our troops, it will mean that Ukraine de facto and de jure legitimizes the annexation of this territory to the Russian Federation, that is, recognizes this territory as Russian," Harmash stated during the broadcast. He also expressed doubts about Ukraine's ability to maintain control over Donbas but stressed that even if the situation becomes critical, agreeing to Moscow's demands is not an option.

Harmash noted that withdrawing troops under pressure from the United States or other factors would lead to the legitimization of the occupation. "This would mean recognition, legitimization of the occupation, not even an occupation, but the annexation of this territory, recognition of it as Russian. Therefore, this would forever close the possibility for us to later return this territory through diplomatic means," he emphasized.

According to Harmash, the primary goal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is to legitimize the seizure of territory. "Firstly, this will create a precedent. Then it will be possible to exert pressure — to talk about Crimea and other occupied territories. Secondly, this will be an argument in any negotiations, they will tell us: 'You yourself withdrew your troops from there, thus recognized that this is Russian territory, the question of its return cannot be raised.' This completely undermines the thesis of internationally recognized borders, territorial integrity, and everything else," the editor-in-chief of Ostry pointed out.

It is noteworthy that in an interview with Reuters published on March 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the United States is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, provided that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbas. However, on March 27, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied this information, calling Zelensky's words "lies" and emphasizing that Washington had not set any conditions regarding territories for Ukraine.

On March 28, in response to Rubio's statements, Zelensky noted that the U.S. is considering the possibility of providing security guarantees to Ukraine only after the war ends, particularly on the condition of troop withdrawal from Donbas, but denied that there was any direct pressure from their side. On March 31, Zelensky reiterated that Russia is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the part of Donbas under its control, and if this does not happen, Russia will seize Donbas and impose new conditions.

Following these statements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attempted to assure that Moscow had not set any deadlines for Ukraine regarding troop withdrawal, while at the same time stating that Ukraine's troops need to be withdrawn from Donbas "today, or preferably it should have been done yesterday." President Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine's position on territorial issues remains unchanged, and Kyiv will not agree to cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia.

In particular, in an interview with Corriere Della Sera published on March 3, Zelensky stated that Ukraine will not abandon Donbas and its 200,000 residents, as a retreat would open the way for Russia to the center of the country and would not halt new demands from the Kremlin. Thus, the situation remains tense, and Ukraine's position remains firm on the issue of territorial integrity.