Zelenskyy rules out handing over Ukrainian territory to Putin in a possible peace deal with Russia, insisting it would “make Kiev a weaker state”.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ruled out a territorial allocation
- He said Russia “would always come back” if such compromises were made
Voldymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out a peace deal with Vladimir Putin that would sacrifice Ukrainian territory, saying such concessions would “weaken us as a state”.
Ukraine’s president said Russia would “keep coming back” ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion if his country ceded territory.
In an interview with the BBC’s John Simpson, Mr Zelensky said a greater supply of Western arms would bring peace closer by helping Ukraine achieve victory.
He said: “Modern weapons hasten peace. Guns are the only language Russia understands.”
Mr Zelenskyi said he could not consider compromises with Putin’s regime because he could not trust the dictator.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would not consider a peace deal with Russia giving away Ukrainian territory
The Ukrainian president said an expected spring offensive by Russia had already begun. Pictured: A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar in the embattled town of Bakhmut
He also said that Ukraine could move towards closer partnership with the rest of Europe in the future.
He said, “Today, our survival and unity is the only goal. We are moving towards Europe.
“Ukraine chose this path, we must not lose it. Ukraine wants security guarantees, we all want that, we agree.
“Any territorial compromises would weaken us as a state.
“It’s not about compromise per se. Why should we fear that? There are millions of compromises in life.
“The question is, with whom? With Putin? No. Because there is no trust.
“Dialogue with him? No. Because there is no trust.’
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly urged greater military support from Ukraine’s western allies and met with UK and EU leaders last week to push the case for more supplies.
Asked whether Britain could send fighter jets to the war-torn nation, Rishi Sunak said “nothing is off the table”.
Ukraine’s president was frustrated at the speed at which weapons were arriving from his allies after it was revealed that tanks promised by several countries, including Britain, would not reach Ukraine for several weeks.
He stressed the importance of more military assistance in the face of a new Russian offensive, which he said had already begun.
Mr. Zelensky also stressed the need for more arms and support from Western countries to end the war. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers take part in exercises in northern England
This month marks the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Mr Zelensky said attacks are “already coming from multiple directions” as Putin tries to regain ground in the war.
Russia is reportedly suffering some of the worst casualties of the war as it remains locked in fighting with Ukrainian forces in the east of the country.
Ukrainian army officials have reported that bodies of Russian soldiers are being “piled up” in trenches around the embattled town of Bakhmut, a key target of Putin.
Meanwhile, officials in Crimea are said to be burning dead soldiers in crematoria “around the clock” to hide casualties.
Near the local crematorium in Crimea’s Krasna Zorka village, there is “a constant line of military vehicles numbering up to 10 units,” Ukrainian forces said.
“The occupiers use these trucks to bring dead Russian soldiers and mercenaries.”