First paragraph (52 words)

President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly criticized the U.S. for conditioning Ukraine's security guarantees on surrendering control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia. In an interview with Reuters, Zelensky stated that President Trump's administration continues to prioritize pressuring Ukraine to relinquish territory rather than confronting Russia directly. He emphasized that retaining Donbas is critical to Ukraine's long-term security, warning that ceding the area would embolden future Russian aggression. The U.S. proposal aligns with Russian demands for Ukraine to hand over a 50-mile-by-40-mile zone in Donetsk, a concession Kyiv views as strategically untenable.