'Ukrainians will not gift their land' — Zelensky rejects idea of territorial concessions to end Russia's war
President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly rejected on Aug. 9 the idea of ceding any Ukrainian territory to end Russia's war, following U.S. President Donald Trump's statement of a possible territorial "swapping."
The day before, Trump claimed that peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv would likely involve "some swapping of territories." The statement comes as the U.S. president prepares to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
"The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in Ukraine's Constitution. No one will deviate from this — and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukrainians deserve peace but a "dignified" one, and said Kyiv's partners must understand this principle.
"This war must be brought to an end – and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, ignoring all deadlines, and that is the problem, not something else," Zelensky added.
Trump and Putin are expected to meet on Aug. 15 in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine, with both sides having confirmed the meeting.
Putin has publicly demanded that Ukraine forget NATO membership and withdraw troops from four of its regions as preconditions for peace. Under this condition, several large cities under Ukrainian control would have to be handed over to Russia.
In his previous remarks, Trump did not specify what he meant by territorial "swapping," though it possibly referred to Crimea — illegally annexed in 2014 — and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Russia declared the annexation of the latter four regions, which are partially occupied by Russia, in 2022 following sham referenda
