Zelenskyy names the only way to return part of occupied territories

"Other geopolitical issues involve the non-recognition of any territories occupied by Russia as Russian. These are Ukrainian territories, in any case. This is one of our most important red lines," the president said.

In his opinion, a just peace will come when Ukraine reclaims all territories occupied by Russia. He also mentioned that some territories may need to be returned through diplomatic means.

"If a compromise can be found so that the return of these territories happens over time through diplomatic means, I think that, probably, for some territories, this will be the only way... Therefore, we will do everything to ensure the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity," Zelenskyy emphasized.

Peace negotiations

In March, the US held a series of meetings with Ukrainian and Russian delegations regarding the implementation of a ceasefire.

Ukraine immediately agreed to this proposal. After several rounds of negotiations, joint statements were published by Ukraine and the US regarding what had been agreed upon.

For more details, read the RBC-Ukraine material.

Russia also presented its version of the final statement. However, it included conditions related to a ceasefire with Ukraine at sea. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin initially claimed to support the US proposal.

However, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov completely rejected the US peace initiatives.

Earlier, Zelenskyy also mentioned that the US is discussing territorial issues with Russia during negotiations about ending the war.

"I think the US side is talking to the Russians about territories. We are concerned that the US has influence over Russia, not the other way around... It’s clear that they are raising the issue of territories. But there have been no agreements with us regarding territories. They know it’s a sensitive issue," the president noted.