Ukraine will not withdraw from Donbas, because for russians, Donbas is a springboard for a future new offensive. If Ukraine leaves it, this will open a third war, said President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with journalists on August 12, reports Interfax-Ukraine.
"We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do that. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the russians is a springboard for a future new offensive. If we leave Donbas of our own free will or under pressure, we will open a third war", - said Zelensky.
The President explained that Crimea "100%" was a springboard for the offensive in the south of Ukraine, and "Donbas 100% was a springboard for not sparing Ukrainian citizens, not using their own, not carrying out any mobilization (sorry to put it this way, but that’s the truth), but turning separatists into the russian army".
According to him, one of the most combat-capable parts of the russian offensive forces were people recruited from the territories of Ukraine occupied after 2014.
"That is, a springboard was being formed for a full-scale invasion. After the full-scale invasion, if today we leave Donbas, our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control, we will clearly open a springboard for the preparation of an offensive by the 'russians'", - the head of state emphasized.
He added that then, in a few years, putin would have an open path to the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, and also to Kharkiv.
"And therefore, in my opinion, any issue of territories cannot be separated from security guarantees. Otherwise, they now want to give them about 9 thousand square kilometers – that’s about 30% of the Donetsk oblast, and that is a springboard for their new aggression", - the President summed up.