Withdrawal from Donbas will open way for russians to Kharkiv and Dnipro - Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Le Point that the withdrawal of the Defense Forces from Donbas will not restore peace, but will only open the way for the military of the aggressor country, russia, to Kharkiv and Dnipro.

"If tomorrow Ukraine somehow withdrew from Donbas, which will not happen, we would open an unprotected space for putin, near a city with a population of one and a half million: Kharkiv. He would also capture the industrial center Dnipro. This would open up opportunities for him," Zelenskyy said.

The President also recalled that in 2014, russian dictator vladimir putin invaded Crimea to use it as a springboard for an offensive into southern Ukraine, and also started a war in the east. And in the event of the occupation of all of Ukraine, the president of the aggressor country would use it as a springboard for a further invasion of Europe.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the head of the President's Office, said that freezing hostilities along the current front line could be one of the options for ending the war in Ukraine. The final decision on this will be made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.