Zelenskyy says 'Anchorage agreements' are no longer part of peace talks
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The "Anchorage agreements" no longer play a role in the negotiations. It is difficult for Russia to demand recognition of the occupied territories of Ukraine as its own while it is losing on the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with the Ukrainian community in the US during his visit to New York.
"Anchorage agreements" are no longer part of the negotiations
Zelenskyy said the so-called "Anchorage agreements" are no longer part of the negotiations. These are Russia's demands for Ukraine to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions occupied by Russia.
"In my view, what happened regarding Ukraine's neutrality and the '3 + 2' Anchorage agreements — the negotiating process has moved away from all of this. And the US team played a role here," the president said.
Ukraine has the upper hand on the battlefield
At the same time, Zelenskyy believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces played the most important role in removing the so-called Anchorage agreements from the agenda.
"On the battlefield, we control the situation. It is difficult for us, but the Russians have no major advances. And where they are making gains, they are paying a very high price, and that price is measured in people — hundreds and thousands," he said.
According to Zelenskyy, the situation on the battlefield gives Ukraine the ability to reject demands from Russia.
Putin wants all of Ukraine
Zelenskyy said Russian leader Vladimir Putin still seeks to occupy all of Ukraine, not just the Donbas.
"But nevertheless, we have no illusions that he wants to seize and occupy our country in one form or another, so that Ukraine would become part of his state," he said.
Zelenskyy concluded that the peace process is difficult precisely because of Russia's position.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump was pushing for three urgent steps to de-escalate Russia's war against Ukraine.
In addition, after meeting with Trump in New York, Zelenskyy outlined a condition for an energy truce with Russia.
Meanwhile, during his speech at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Trump said the war in Ukraine would end "sooner than people think."
