Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected U.S. calls to give up Crimea and make territorial concessions to Russia.
According to RT, in his Independence Day speech on August 24, Zelensky declared that Ukraine would reclaim Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The Ukrainian leader also emphasized that Ukraine would retake the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions annexed by Russia following referendums in 2022.
“At this point zero, the starting point marking the distance to Ukraine’s cities, to our Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. All of it belongs to Ukraine, and no temporary control can change that. One day, we will bring everything back as one nation. It is only a matter of time,” President Zelensky said at Maidan Square in Kyiv.
In an effort to mediate a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed the idea of a “territorial swap,” asserting that Ukraine cannot take back Crimea because it is “impossible.”
Over the past week, the issue of territory has been one of the main topics of discussion between Trump, Zelensky, and several European Union (EU) leaders. However, Zelensky is said to have rejected all proposals involving territorial concessions.
In addition, Trump also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky hold a bilateral meeting to make progress toward a peace agreement. Trump warned that the Ukrainian leader needs to “show flexibility,” including in his statements on territorial issues.
For his part, President Putin has stated that he does not rule out the possibility of meeting with Zelensky, but only on the condition that both sides make significant progress in peace talks. Moreover, Moscow has expressed concerns about Zelensky’s legitimacy, as his presidential term ended in 2024 while Ukraine has yet to hold new elections due to martial law.
Moscow insists it will only accept a peace agreement under conditions that include Ukraine remaining neutral, being demilitarized, and recognizing Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as part of Russia.