Zelenskyy explains refusal to concede territory: Putin has no plans to end war

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will not agree to territorial concessions in exchange for a ceasefire, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the ВВС

Details: Responding to his interviewer's question about proposals from the United States and Russia that Ukraine give up 20% of Donetsk Oblast in exchange for a ceasefire, Zelenskyy firmly rejected such a scenario.

He said the Russian side would lie in any case, as the Kremlin only cares about its own interests.

Quote: "I see this differently. I don't look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment – weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this 'withdrawal' would divide our society."

Details: Zelenskyy also commented on talks with US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, stressing that Americans "should stop the Russians, not try to please them".

He added that Ukraine has not abandoned its goal of restoring its 1991 borders, but acknowledged that at present the armed forces lack sufficient weapons and personnel to liberate all territories immediately by military means.

"To do it today would mean losing a huge number of people – millions of people – because the [Russian] army is large, and we understand the cost of such steps," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• Western media outlets have reported on various "peace plans" that envisage freezing the war along the current line of contact and creating demilitarised zones deeper inside Ukrainian territory.
• Meanwhile Putin, in a video address marking the Soviet-era holiday on 23 February, said Russia will continue a large-scale build-up of its military potential and called on society for total militarisation.

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