Ukraine firmly rejects compromise on recognizing occupied territories as part of Russia – Zelensky
Photo: Office of the President
Ukraine will not agree to any compromises that would involve recognizing the occupied territories as part of the Russian Federation, even if there is pressure from all international allies.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated this during a meeting with representatives of the International Media Council.
The head of state emphasized that these territories legally and actually belong to Ukraine, and their return remains an unchanged goal.
"No matter what anyone wants. Even if all the allies of the world unite, we still will not recognize the occupied territories. This is impossible. We do not legally recognize them. For us, they will always remain occupied territories until we return there," Zelensky emphasized.
The President emphasized that talks with the aggressor are possible only from a position of strength. An attempt to negotiate on an equal footing with Vladimir Putin is regarded as a defeat for Ukraine.
"Putin cannot be subjective in this story. He violated everything. He is guilty and must realize it. But not stopping him, if you talk to him on an equal footing, is a loss for Ukraine," the president noted.
Zelensky separately noted that ending the active phase of the war is a priority for the country.
"We must find all opportunities to end the hot stage of the war. This is the number one issue. There may be many negotiations, but the main thing is to stop the active phase. This is the number one security guarantee," the head of state emphasized.
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It should be noted that the Administration of President Donald Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine in such a way as to prevent a new conflict shortly.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that achieving peace is a priority for President Donald Trump's administration, but this process will be difficult and require significant concessions from both sides.
On the eve of Rubio called Russia an "aggressor" and at the same time stated that the new administration "wants the war to end."
The new Secretary of State said that he could not set a time frame for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and added that he expected both sides to make some concessions in order to achieve peace.
In addition, during his first day in office as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump signed several executive orders. He answered questions from reporters, including those about the Russian-Ukrainian war. US President Donald Trump said that the Ukrainian president is ready for a deal and pointed to economic difficulties in Russia that could push Putin to negotiate.
Responding to media questions about the Russian war in Ukraine, the White House chief said, "Zelensky wants to make a deal."
He also hoped that Putin would be ready for a deal because "he is destroying Russia by not making a deal."
"I think Russia is kinda in big trouble. You take a look at their economy; you take a look at their inflation in Russia. I got along with [Putin] great; I would hope he wants to make a deal," the US president added.
The head of the White House announced plans to meet with the Russian president but did not disclose details about the timing, only noting that it could happen "quite quickly."
In addition, Trump stressed that he would try to end the war as soon as possible and repeated his thesis that the conflict would not have started if he were president in 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine won't conclude "tomorrow or the day after," despite former US President Donald Trump's promises to end it swiftly.
