Ukraine will not give up its territories. This is our history and our values, - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will not retreat from any of its territories, as that would be a betrayal of the people.
He told reporters this after the EU summit in Cyprus, as quoted by the "United24 Media" platform, according to Censor.NET.
Ukraine rejects any territorial concessions
During his conversation with the press, he made it clear that this is not just about land—it is about people’s lives, homes, and the history of millions of families.
"We have never spoken of Ukrainian territories simply as territories. All these territories are not just land; they are our history, the history of this or that family. Many families, thousands of families, millions, and their roots are there. This isn’t a question of territories. We’re talking about values, about people, about their children, about their homes. It’s something more than just territories. That’s why, when someone says we need to retreat, please try leaving your home," Zelenskyy emphasized.
What led up to
- As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Ukraine cannot agree to cede any of its territories as part of peace negotiations with Russia, since such a move would violate national law, public sentiment, and the actual situation in the temporarily occupied territories.
- President Zelenskyy also told Reuters that the U.S. had made its offer of security guarantees contingent on Kyiv handing over the entire Donbas region to Russia.
- For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed as a lie Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that Washington is prepared to provide security guarantees in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas.
