Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from its own territory – Zelenskyy

"The issue here is not about President Trump. Why? With all due respect, because this is our land, our country, our army, and our independence. The question is what Ukraine can afford to do and what it cannot. No one will withdraw our troops from our territories. It is my constitutional duty, and the duty of our military, to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

He noted that currently there are temporarily occupied territories due to the aggression of such a large country, but Ukraine will not comply with any ultimatums, and "no one will surrender their land, their territories, their people, or their homes."

"I don’t know what principles are in the memorandum. Probably, well, let’s be honest. This is what we discussed with the leaders, and I have repeatedly spoken about this with President Trump and his team. If Russia demands the withdrawal of our troops from our own land, it means they do not want a ceasefire and do not want the war to end. Because they clearly understand that Ukraine will not do this," the president added.

Russia’s demands

During the negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, the Russian delegation, together with Ukrainian representatives in Türkiye, voiced five demands concerning:

• Ukraine’s "neutrality,"

• waiver of reparations,

• rights of Russian speakers,

• "recognition" of the occupation of Ukrainian territories,

• withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from several regions for an immediate ceasefire.

In particular, Ukraine is supposedly not to deny Russia’s "constitutional" claims to five Ukrainian regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea), and the Kremlin seeks international "recognition" of the occupied territories.