Trump says peace between Ukraine and Russian Federation involves 'exchange of territories', Zelensky responds
Russia has offered to end hostilities in Ukraine in exchange for significant territorial concessions from Kiev and international recognition of the occupied territories.
US President Donald Trump has suggested that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine will probably require "some exchange of territories for the benefit of both sides". He said this during a press conference at the White House.
Trump noted that the US is keen for Ukraine to get some of its territory back.
It's very difficult. But we're going to get something back, we're going to exchange something. There will be some exchange of territories for the benefit of both sides," he said.
According to Trump, we are talking about the territory, for which "for three and a half years there has been a struggle", which took the lives of "many Ukrainians and Russians".
In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will not give up its territories to Russian occupiers.
The answer to the Ukrainian territorial issue is already in the Ukrainian constitution. No one will or can deviate from it. Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier," the head of state said.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine was ready for real solutions that would lead to peace. But, as the president said, any decisions that are against Ukraine and without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace.
We would like to point out that, as Bloomberg writes, Washington and Moscow are seeking to reach an agreement on ending the war in Ukraine, which would secure the occupied territories for Russia. According to the publication, Putin is demanding that Ukraine hand over to Russia its entire eastern part of Donbass, as well as Crimea, which Russian troops illegally annexed in 2014. According to the sources, Russia also promises to stop its offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions.