'Matter of strategic principles': Lt. Gen. Romanenko on demand to give up Donbas
global.espreso.tv
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:54:00 +0200

Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, founder of the Close the Sky of Ukraine Charitable Foundation, stated this on Espreso TV."Donbas is a matter of strategic principles. Regarding Article 5 - all these illusions about automatic assistance do not correspond to reality. What it means is that after an attack, everyone must gather, and each country individually determines what specific participation and in what form it will take. Someone helps with logistics, while someone else only expresses concern. In other words, there is no concrete plan. Russia, however, has a plan, has momentum, and has the appropriate resources. That is precisely why the situation is very dangerous," Romanenko noted.According to the Lieutenant General, to transfer troops from Spain to France and then through Europe to the East takes a lot of time, as echelons pass through different countries, and each has its own legislation and procedures. By the time all this is coordinated in a week or two, Russia could already be at the English Channel, as was planned, because they have a clear plan of advancement."Europeans have already figured out that today it is Ukraine that is performing the function of Article 5 in action for Europe. Trump has shifted the security issue to Europe, saying defend yourselves. Consequently, attitudes toward Ukraine and the level of support are changing, but unfortunately, very slowly," Romanenko stated.The founder of the Close the Sky of Ukraine Charitable Foundation added that Ukraine definitely needs bilateral agreements at the level of those the U.S. has with Israel, Japan, and South Korea. But it must be clearly understood that these will not be absolute guarantees."We need weapons and equipment, while the Russians declare that they will sign an agreement only when everything is restricted for Ukraine, meaning there will be no deliveries and all missile programs and all supplies will be stopped.Therefore, the main guarantee is our own Defense Forces. Active military-diplomatic work must be conducted while simultaneously building up our own defense potential. This is precisely the approach that should be taken regarding Donbas," Romanenko emphasized.Diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko noted that there are currently no prerequisites for a quick and effective end to the war, as signals from Russia indicate its unwillingness to pursue peace.










