As of August 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refuses to cede the remainder of the Donbas region to Russia as a condition for ending the war.

Reasoning:

• Multiple sources confirm that throughout 2026, Zelensky has consistently refused to cede the remainder of the Donbas (the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk still under Ukrainian control) to Russia as a condition for a ceasefire/peace deal¹²³.
• In an interview with Axios (17 Feb 2026), Zelensky said the Ukrainian public would reject a peace deal involving unilateral withdrawal from the Donbas and its handover to Russia, calling the demand "not fair"².
• As of August 2026, Zelensky stated that the two sides "remained divided over the issue of Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbas" as part of settlement efforts, and he continued to propose only reciprocal force withdrawals and a demilitarized buffer "free economic zone" — not ceding the territory to Russia⁴.
• His military intelligence chief Budanov advised him not to accept any Donbas compromise that would let Russia claim control, reinforcing the no-cession position⁵.
• The only nuance is that Ukraine has discussed a demilitarized/free economic zone and reciprocal withdrawals, but sovereignty is not handed to Russia, so the core claim holds⁴².

Overall validity: 92%