The United States has offered to help protect Ukraine if it hands over the Donbas region to Russia, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy said that with the U.S. focused on its war with Iran, President Donald Trump was pressuring Ukraine to quickly end the four-year war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion.
"The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump, and I think on his next steps. President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side," he told Reuters in an exclusive interview.
He said the unresolved questions were who would help to fund Ukraine's weapons purchases to sustain its military deterrent and how its allies would respond to future Russian aggression.
"The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelenskyy said.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to win control of Donbas, Russia has been making slow progress.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and large parts of Ukraine have been destroyed in Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
Zelenskyy said a withdrawal would compromise the security of Ukraine and Europe by handing the region's strong defensive positions to Russia.
"I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees," he said.
