Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting European leaders and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday in London and Brussels that he had no right to cede any territory to Russia and that he hoped to present a new peace plan revised according to kyiv’s position to American negotiators leading ongoing bilateral contacts with the Russians on Tuesday.
“If we plan to cede territory? We have no rights, according to the law. According to Ukrainian law, according to our Constitution, according to international law, if we are just. And we have no moral rights either,” Zelensky said at a press conference after his meetings with the Europeans on Monday.
The Ukrainian president was likely referring to Russia’s demand that kyiv cede territory it still controls in Ukraine’s Donbass region to Moscow. In addition to maintaining what he has conquered on the battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin demands, as a condition for disarmament, that the Ukrainians also withdraw from the Donbass territory that Moscow has not yet taken militarily.
Putin could also demand that Ukraine and the community formally recognize as part of Russia the territories it has occupied by force. Kyiv has shown itself ready to accept Russian control de facto on these territories, but does not agree to modify the borders also on paper with legal recognition.
Zelensky also explained that of the initial 28 points that made up the initial plan presented by President Donald Trump’s administration, the eight that were completely unacceptable to kyiv were eliminated – during meetings held by kyiv and Washington’s envoys in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Miami.
“There are of course difficult questions regarding the territory. No compromise has yet been found on this point,” Zelensky said in his last public address.
The Ukrainian president added that his administration hopes to finalize on Tuesday a revision of the draft plan that his team and that of President Trump negotiated last week in the United States and send the new version to Washington.
About The Author
