Oleg Davygora22:28, 20.02.26

According to him, Ukraine will definitely not lose the war, the only question is whether it will be able to win.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that both the Americans and the Russians say: if Kyiv wants the war to end tomorrow, then the Armed Forces of Ukraine must withdraw troops from Donbas.

“You can’t say we’re losing the war. Honestly, we’re definitely not losing it, absolutely. The question is whether we’re winning,” he said, according to France 24 .

According to him, “it’s a question – but it’s a very expensive question.”

It is noted that both Washington and Moscow are putting pressure on Kyiv, demanding that it cede the besieged Donbas to the Kremlin as part of any agreement to end the four-year war.

“Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, leave Donbas,” Zelensky said of the eastern region, which Russia considers its territory.

The president noted that Ukraine will only be able to hold elections after the war is over. He said that Russia is insisting on holding elections as soon as possible only because the Kremlin wants to remove him from power:

“Let’s be honest – the Russians just want to replace me.”

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces are having success in liberating territories on the southern front lines.

“I won’t go into too many details, but today I can congratulate our army, all the defense forces, because 300 square kilometers have been liberated today,” he added.

Peace talks – latest news

Earlier, the Kyiv Independent wrote that the creation of a demilitarized economic zone in Donbas is an unrealistic idea, especially in the format of a joint Ukrainian-Russian administration.

During the latest round of talks in Geneva on February 17-18, Kyiv and Moscow discussed the idea of ​​a joint Russian-Ukrainian civil administration to manage the demilitarized zone in Donbas. The proposal involves the withdrawal of both Russian and Ukrainian troops from Donbas.

It was noted that the bizarre proposal was put forward by representatives of the American delegation, who continue to cling to the role of a neutral mediator. However, Ukrainian officials, with whom journalists spoke, cannot imagine even a simple demilitarized zone in Donbas , let alone a joint civil administration.

(C)UNIAN 2026