# Zelenskyy warns Donbas deal won't stop Putin's war > Zelenskyy says ceding Donbas for peace is absurd as Putin prepares for another invasion. - Title: Zelenskyy warns Donbas deal won't stop Putin's war | Shortify - Summary: Zelenskyy says ceding Donbas for peace is absurd as Putin prepares for another invasion. - Keywords: zelenskyy, donbas, putin, ukraine, russian invasion, security guarantees, nato, territorial concessions, india, Indiatimes - Source: Indiatimes — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/ceding-territory-for-peace-is-absurd-zelenskyy-warns-donbas-deal-wont-stop-putins-war/articleshow/135712420.cms - Author: Aryan Singh - Published: 2026-11-10T13:38:00+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: zelenskyy, donbas, putin, ukraine, russian invasion, security guarantees, nato, territorial concessions, india, news ## Zelenskyy warns on Donbas deal President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that ceding Ukrainian land for peace is absurd and won't stop Putin's war. > Ceding Ukrainian land for peace is just abstract words. It's not only about reality, even more about philosophy ## Putin's past actions contradict peace promises Zelenskyy points to Russia's capture of Kyiv during 2022 invasion despite claiming focus on Donbas and protecting Russian-speaking populations. > He kept saying he was defending russian-speaking people and then tortured hundreds and thousands to death in bucha and other places ## Zelenskyy questions security guarantees Zelenskyy says no security arrangement could be trusted without clear and enforceable guarantees against future Russian aggression. > 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 ## US security offer lacks clarity Zelenskyy reveals American representatives asked whether Ukraine would exchange Donbas for security guarantees but offered no NATO membership. > This is why when americans asked, 'Can you exchange donbas for security?' I said right there, 'Can you tell me what it means? What security? Nato?' ## Ukraine's nuclear disarmament history Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. > Ukraine agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal under an international disarmament arrangement formalised through the 1994 Budapest Memorandum ## Budapest Memorandum commitments broken Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion in 2022 violated the Budapest Memorandum's promises to respect Ukraine's sovereignty. > Russia's annexation of crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion in february 2022 exposed the limitations of those assurances ## Zelenskyy predicts Russian return Zelenskyy warns that Putin could use territorial concessions as a temporary pause before returning to attack Ukraine in one to five years. > Zelenskyy warned that surrendering donbas would not guarantee an end to russian aggression, arguing that putin could use the concession as a temporary pause before returning to attack ukraine ## Ukraine's nuclear disarmament Ukraine completed the transfer of its nuclear warheads to Russia in 1996 after joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. > Ukraine joined the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state and completed the transfer of its nuclear warheads to russia in 1996 ## Zelenskyy's stance on security guarantees Zelenskyy insists Ukraine needs clear security guarantees that explicitly address territorial integrity, not vague promises. > Zelenskyy questions what would happen if ukraine accepted security guarantees without becoming a nato member ## Zelenskyy's warning on territorial concessions Zelenskyy states that surrendering Donbas would not end Russian aggression but only give Putin time to prepare for another invasion. > Zelenskyy warned that surrendering donbas would not guarantee an end to russian aggression, arguing that putin could use the concession as a temporary pause before returning to attack ukraine ## Key takeaway Ukraine's president warns that surrendering Donbas to Russia for security guarantees won't end Putin's war, predicting Russian forces could return in one to five years.