Ukraine open to talks on territorial matters if conditions met, says Merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial issues in possible peace talks with Russia. However, there are several conditions, the main one being that there will be no legal recognition of the occupied territories, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Merz said that Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial issues, using the current front line as the starting point. However, there is no discussion of any legal recognition of Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories as Russian.
He stated that Ukraine is prepared for negotiations on territorial matters, but the contact line serves as the starting position, and legal recognition of territories occupied by Russia is not being discussed. He added that the constitution should not be changed.
On August 13, during a conversation with US President Donald Trump and European leaders, five joint principles for ending Russia's war against Ukraine were agreed upon. One of them is that there will be no territorial concessions without effective security guarantees for Ukraine.
Trump and Putin will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday, August 15. Zelenskyy will not be present. During the summit, Putin may present Trump with an ultimatum — to recognize the occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian in exchange for the withdrawal of the aggressor's forces from other districts and regions.
Ukrainian officials have already stated that they do not plan to hand over any territory to Russia or legally recognize it as Russian. These issues are not even being discussed.
At the same time, on August 13, the Russian regime repeated its ultimatum, which the Kremlin constantly tries to impose on Ukraine. This involves Russia's demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia is also demanding that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and that all Western sanctions be lifted.
