Zelensky pushes back on ceding land to Russia amid White House pressure
Updated ,first published
London: Peace talks on Ukraine are at risk of collapsing amid a deepening dispute over whether to cede territory to Russia to end the war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushing back on pressure from the White House to comply with terms.
Zelenskiy made a strong statement about his country’s sovereignty, opposing Russia’s claims to eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region; European leaders, however, strongly supported him at meetings in London and Brussels.
The move is likely to put the Ukrainian leader at odds with Donald Trump over the terms of the final deal, just as the US president tweeted a news article saying he sidelined “impotent Europeans” in negotiations.
Russian forces have made slow gains in Donbas in recent weeks and are seeking to secure other territory and gain official recognition of the 2014 annexation of Crimea, in addition to laying formal claims to the entire region in a possible peace deal.
Zelensky condemned these demands in his statements to the media after his meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London.
“Of course, Russia insists that we give up the territory,” he said.
“Of course we don’t want to give anything away. That’s exactly what we’re fighting for.”
“Americans today are looking for a compromise. I will be frank.”
New York Times He said Zelensky made these remarks in an online chat with journalists. Washington Post He reported these statements as a “firm declaration” that Ukraine would not surrender territory.
“According to our laws, international law and moral law, we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said. Mail.
Zelensky has frequently argued that he cannot give up territory under the Constitution and has repeatedly said giving up territory would reward the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent forces into Donbas in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
But Ukraine has made no progress in its military attempts to retake the territory and is in danger of losing control of towns such as Pokrovsk, where Russian forces are advancing through the streets.
Further Russian gains would put Ukrainian forces under serious pressure in the “fortress belt” cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk and increase the danger for much of eastern Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s personal envoy to the peace talks, included the transfer of Donbas, Crimea and other regions to Russia as part of the 28-point peace plan discussed with Russian counterparts last month.
Zelensky and European leaders rejected the draft plan but did not release an agreed-upon alternative; This led to weeks of speculation about whether Russia’s territorial claims could be part of the final agreement.
Ukrainians fear that a ceasefire that would give Donbas to Russia would pave the way for the next war, in which Putin would try to conquer most of Ukraine, including the capital Kiev.
Peace talks have continued with no agreement on the land issue since the 28-point plan was leaked last month and published by news website Axios on November 20.
The leak prompted Zelensky and European leaders to encourage Trump to make changes to the plan, and Trump appeared to accept some of their claims.
The rocky road to the deal included another leak, this time in which Witkoff praised Putin in a phone call with a Russian negotiator and declared that the Russian leader was willing to continue the war against Ukraine and go to war with Europe.
While Trump has frequently changed his stance on key issues (sometimes praising Ukraine’s ability to win the war, sometimes declaring that it “has no cards” and can’t win), his recent comments suggest he believes European leaders are in a weak position.
The US president tweeted New York Post The headline said: “Impotent Europeans may be outraged that Trump rightfully steered them away from the Ukraine deal.”
Zelensky posted the tweet at 7am (AEDT) on Tuesday as he was shuttling between meetings with European leaders.
Trump has significant influence over Zelensky, given the importance of US arms supplies to Ukraine, but the cost of the weapons is now covered by European countries. Trump could try to ban their exports, while US arms manufacturers could oppose this.
Zelensky received symbolic support from European leaders with a visit to Starmer’s office at Number 10 Downing Street on Monday; During this visit, photographs of the four leaders were included, but no press conference was held.
The Ukrainian leader, who later went to Brussels to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, published a social media video showing close and friendly meetings.
After the talks, Zelensky said in his statement to X, “Our positions were compatible on all issues.” “We act in a coordinated and constructive manner.”
However, as usual, none of the leaders made any statements regarding the specific terms of the common position in the peace talks, leaving doubts about whether an agreement could be reached.
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