These Ukrainians Don’t Want to Be Traded to Russia for Peace

Daria Bondareva, 28, opened a beauty salon two years ago in Sloviansk and does not want it handed to Russia along with the rest of Donetsk. Four years into the war, talks brokered by the Trump administration have centered on surrendering Donetsk in exchange for a promise of peace elsewhere in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will not unilaterally withdraw from Donetsk, saying such a move would violate the Constitution, give Russia a springboard for future attacks, and could rupture Ukrainian society and end his political career. He has shown some openness to compromise, including a proposal for a demilitarized zone, while polls indicate about 40 percent of Ukrainians would cede Donetsk if allies offered sufficient protections; roughly 190,000 people, including 12,000 children, live in the area that would change hands.

Ukraine, Sloviansk

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