Ukraine is ready to halt hostilities along front line, but will not recognise occupied territories as Russian, - Zelenskyy
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stated his readiness to halt hostilities and freeze the war along the current front line. At the same time, Ukraine will not agree to recognise the temporarily occupied territories as Russian.
According to Censor.NET, the head of state made these remarks in an interview with ABC News.
"Yes, we are ready to end this war as soon as possible. To freeze the conflict along the front line right now," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine will not agree to cede the Donbas
In the interview, the president was also asked whether he was prepared to cede 25 per cent of Ukraine’s territory in order to reach a peace agreement. Zelenskyy replied in the negative and explained that such a concession would effectively mean giving up the whole of the Donbas.
According to the head of state, Russia currently controls 19.3 per cent of Ukraine’s territory.
"When someone talks about 25 per cent, it means that we would have to give up the whole of Donbas; it would mean that they (the Russians – ed.) would control 25 per cent. At present, they control 19.3 per cent," said the president.
Ukraine will not recognise the occupied territories as Russian
Zelenskyy emphasised that a willingness to freeze hostilities does not imply consent to the legal recognition of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.
"We will not agree – I have heard such proposals – to recognise the temporarily occupied territory as Russian," the president noted.
During the same interview, the head of state also stated that restrictions on Starlink satellite communications remain in place.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy stated that over the past 90 days, Ukraine had received 24 missiles for its Patriot air defence systems from a strategic partner.
What led up to this?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine centres on the Donbas – a region that Moscow wants to capture but is unable to do so by military means. At the same time, both sides must make certain concessions.
- On 20 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway and announced that, during talks with the Russians in St Petersburg, Witkoff would present the proposals on security guarantees that had been worked out and were already set out in a relevant document.
- On 21 October, Trump’s special envoy met with Vladimir Putin at the Konstantinovsky Palace near St Petersburg. During the talks, Witkoff stated that the preconditions for a ceasefire were in place.
- Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian dictator, subsequently stated that Moscow was ready to resume trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine as early as mid-November.
- Zelenskyy subsequently confirmed that the US side had informed Kyiv of Russia’s readiness for a meeting at the level of the negotiating teams. According to him, Ukraine supports the proposal to hold talks as soon as possible.
- On 22 October, Russian dictator Putin announced Moscow’s readiness to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US. He said the aim of the talks should be to achieve a lasting peace and establish a security framework for Russia and Ukraine.
