Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's rejection of territorial concessions risks angering US President Donald Trump, writes The New York Times, as reported by UNN.
Details
According to the publication, Zelenskyy on Saturday "categorically rejected" President Trump's proposal that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia could include "some exchange of territories" - a plan that would effectively mean transferring land to Moscow.
"Zelenskyy's blunt refusal risks angering Trump, who has made a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia one of his main foreign policy goals, even if it means accepting terms unfavorable to Kyiv. In the past, Trump has criticized Ukraine for insisting on what he considered stubborn demands for a ceasefire, and for being 'not ready for peace,'" the publication writes.
Zelenskyy's position, as the publication writes, reflects a widespread opinion in Ukraine that surrendering territories for the sake of ending the war is unacceptable. A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that slightly more than half of Ukrainians believe that "under no circumstances" should the country cede land, "even if it makes the war longer and threatens the preservation of independence."
Recall
US President Donald Trump announced that he would meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.
As reported, Putin presented the Trump administration with a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which involves significant territorial concessions from Ukraine. This refers to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the announcement of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, stated Ukraine's readiness for real solutions for peace, but emphasized that Ukrainians would not give their land to the occupier. He stressed that the answer to the territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine.
Trump's special envoy Witkoff misunderstood Putin - Bild09.08.25, 12:42