Residents of Donetsk Reject Ceding Region in Reported Peace Plan

Residents of Ukraine's Donetsk region have reacted with disbelief to reports of a proposed peace plan. The reported proposal, attributed to U.S. officials, would see Ukraine cede the contested territory to Russia. An estimated 200,000 civilians still live in the Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk. Many call the idea of abandoning the region "absurd." These residents now express a dual fear. They dread permanent Russian occupation and worry their government may yield to international pressure. The Ukrainian government has not commented on this specific reported proposal. Previous statements firmly reject any peace deal that involves ceding sovereign territory.