Zelenskyi comments on situation in Donbas

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on the situation in Donbas.

He wrote about it on social media.

"Today I'd divide the issues of war and peace into two points. First, about Donbas. Yes, we've seen the escalation since the beginning of the year. 20 dead and 57 wounded, only in the first months. It's the price we pay for war and defending our independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Of our Ukraine.

Sanctions against Viktor Medvedchuk, our loud and firm stance on Ukraine's independence and progress towards peace, and unquestioning support from Western partners irritate the enemy who invaded Donbas and occupied Crimea. It's clear. It's also apparent that we'd like to return to the conditions when the ceasefire was more effective, as of July 27, 2020, when we had dozens of times fewer wounded and dead during those months. And we're working on it.

The second point is the increasing presence of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. The play of muscles with military exercises and provocations along the border is a traditional Russian affair. In this way, it's trying to create an atmosphere of threat and pressure during the ceasefire talks and peace negotiations as our value," Zelenskyi wrote.

He stressed our army wasn't only strength and power; it's also wisdom and balance. Our state is unity.

"We're always ready for any provocations. The process of negotiating peace is difficult. But no one hoped it would be easy. It's always painful to lose our people. Every news of death brings pain to families, relatives, all Ukrainians, and me as President. That's why we don't stop and are negotiating a truce as the fastest tactical step. Our strategy is peace and returning our people and territories," he said.

On March 30, the Verkhovna Rada approved a statement demanding that the Russian Federation cease hostilities immediately and adhere to the ceasefire, and call on the world community to continue and increase political and economic pressure on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine.

During a TCG meeting, Leonid Kravchuk proposed to resume a comprehensive ceasefire from April 1, but Russia refused.

Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak stated in the Verkhovna Rada that there were up to 60,000 soldiers in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, and huge Russian army forces were concentrated on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Khomchak also stated that Ukraine was ready to protect Donbas. However, before that, it's necessary to assess the risks and calculate the strengths and capabilities of the Ukrainian state and army.