Zelenskyy says he has no right to cede country or trade territory without security guarantees for Ukraine

"I am not going to surrender my country because I have no right to do so. And the issue is not that I am hiding behind the Constitution. Is the state private property? Is 30% of Donetsk region my private property? Or yours? Or someone else's?" he said.

According to the president, "territory exchange is a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine, for our sovereign state and our people."

Trump–Putin meeting

On Friday, August 15, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place in Alaska.

The day before, the American leader stated that he would demand Putin to end the war. According to him, the purpose of the talks is to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Earlier, Trump did not rule out the possibility of a "territory exchange" between Ukraine and Russia, including the return of part of the land.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in response, emphasized that territorial issues are enshrined in the Constitution, and Ukraine will not hand over its land to the occupiers. He also noted that Russia is promoting the idea of such an "exchange" without any security guarantees.

Later, Trump clarified that the United States, together with its partners, would seek to return part of the occupied territories to Ukraine, but certain land swaps, according to him, would still take place.