“Do we intend to cede territory? Under Ukrainian law, our Constitution, and international law, we do not have the right to do so. And morally, we absolutely cannot,” Zelensky said during an online press conference on November 8.
The Ukrainian leader noted that the United States is attempting to find a compromise on the issue.
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“Russia demands that we give up territory, but we do not want to concede anything. As you can clearly see, we are fighting for this,” he said. “There are difficult territorial issues, and so far there has been no compromise.”
A senior official familiar with the negotiations previously told AFP that territory remains “the most challenging issue” in the talks. Security guarantees for Kyiv are also a major sticking point.
“It is important to know what our partners would be willing to do if Russia launches new aggression. At the moment, we have not received an answer to this question,” Zelensky said.
After meeting British, French, and German leaders in London the same day, Zelensky traveled to Brussels for talks with NATO and EU officials before heading to Italy.
He also said Ukrainian and European officials would discuss the 20-point draft proposal received from the United States and send Kyiv’s revised proposals back to Washington as early as the evening of November 9.
The Ukrainian delegation and U.S. President Donald Trump’s team of envoys met in Florida over the weekend to discuss efforts to end the conflict. Zelensky described the meeting as “constructive, though not easy.”
Earlier, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, traveled to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss the peace plan.