Ukraine won’t discuss territory until ceasefire reached — Zelenskyy
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Ukrainian side is ready for an unconditional ceasefire, but the issue of territorial integrity will not be discussed until that stage is achieved, stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists.
"Today, we are discussing an unconditional ceasefire, and until that happens, we are not discussing territory. You know my position and our red lines - we will never recognize any of our temporarily occupied territories as Russian,” he said.
Zelenskyy also commented on the strategy of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, calling it dangerous. In his view, Witkoff may be knowingly or unknowingly promoting Russian narratives, which does not contribute to peace negotiations.
"I don’t see any mandate for him to discuss Ukrainian territories. They are ours, they belong not only to us, but also to future Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy added.
The President stressed that Ukraine is willing to support a ceasefire, but believes Russia is not, as it continues trying to seize more territory and escalate tensions.
"The closer Trump is to serious sanctions and steps against Russia, the closer we will be to a ceasefire," Zelenskyy concluded.
Negotiation process to end the war
The United States has initiated several rounds of talks and meetings with Ukrainian delegations, during which it proposed a full ceasefire with Russia. Similar meetings have also taken place between the US and Russia.
As a result of these negotiations, Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire with Russia. For more details, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Following the talks between Moscow and Washington, Russia also released a statement summarizing its meeting with American officials. However, Russia did not support the idea of a ceasefire, claiming that such an agreement would not resolve the problems of Russia.
Amid these developments, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Russia, where he met with Russian envoy for investment Kirill Dmitriev. He later held nearly five hours of talks with President Vladimir Putin.
After his meetings with Russian officials, Witkoff intensified his pro-Russian rhetoric. He stated that the so-called "five territories" are the "key" to ending the war in Ukraine.
Reuters also reported that, in Witkoff’s view, the fastest path to peace in Ukraine would involve granting Russia ownership over four eastern Ukrainian regions.
