Zelensky pushes back on ceding land to Russia amid White House pressure
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.
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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.
