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Zelensky: "We Are Not Losing the War, the Army Liberated 300 km2"

Published February 21, 2026, 09:12
Zelensky: "We Are Not Losing the War, the Army Liberated 300 km2"

Ukraine "is not losing" the war against Russia and the outcome remains uncertain, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today in an interview with the French News Agency. "We cannot say that we are losing the war, honestly, we are definitely not losing it. The question is whether we will win, yes, that is the question, but a question that has a very high price," he stressed. Ukraine has recaptured large areas of its territory from Russian forces in the south in recent days, Zelensky said, as peace talks remain stalled due to Moscow's demand that Kyiv withdraw from the Donbas. "So far, 300 (square) kilometers have been liberated" in this counteroffensive, Zelensky said, just days before the anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the worst conflict in Europe since World War II. The French News Agency is unable to confirm this information. The United States continues to provide intelligence to Kyiv "at the same level" as before, the Ukrainian president said. "We receive the information we ask for from France and other European countries. And we receive information from the Americans at the same level as before," he stressed, clarifying that while the United States "always gave a lot of information," they did not always answer all of Kyiv's requests. The Ukrainian army is also facing problems with connectivity to the Starlink network, Zelensky said, since Elon Musk agreed in early February to disable the Starlink terminals used by Russia on the front line. "There are problems, there are challenges. I have asked the Minister of Defense to do everything he can," Zelensky stressed, assuring however that Russian forces have "much more serious problems" at this level. In the event of a ceasefire with Russia, Ukraine would like to see the relevant international forces guarantee the maintenance of their deployment "closer to the front line," Zelensky said. "We would like to see the (military) force be closer to the front line. Of course, no one wants to be on the front line," although "Ukrainians would like our partners to be by our side on the line". Washington and Moscow are asking Ukraine to abandon the Donbas Regarding the Donbas, the recent direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, under US mediation, are stumbling on the issue of the fate of this large mining basin in the eastern part of the country, which is now almost entirely occupied by the forces of Moscow and which Kyiv refuses to abandon. "The Americans, like the Russians, say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of the Donbas," the Ukrainian president said, who believes that Washington a…