President Zelensky states Ukraine has no legal or moral right to cede territory to Russia, citing the constitution and international law
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Ukraine has no right to cede land to Russia in any potential peace deal.
He made the remarks during an online press conference on Monday.
“Do we envision ceding territories? We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law,” Zelensky said.
“And we don’t have any moral right either.”
He confirmed the United States is attempting to find a compromise on the territorial issue.
“Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything,” he stated.
“We are fighting for that, as you well know.”
Zelensky noted that difficult problems concerning the territories remain unresolved.
“There are difficult problems concerning the territories and so far there has been no compromise.”
A senior official close to the talks earlier told AFP the question of Ukrainian territory was the “most problematic” in negotiations.
Security guarantees for Kyiv have also been a major sticking point in discussions.
“The key is to know what our partners will be ready to do in the event of new aggression by Russia,” Zelensky said.
“At the moment, we have not received any answer to this question.”
Following meetings in London, Zelensky travelled to Brussels for talks with NATO and European Commission leaders.
“Then, during the night, around 1:00 am or midnight I will go to Italy,” he added.
Zelensky said Ukrainian and European officials would work on proposals received from the US.
Counter-proposals could be ready by Tuesday evening to be sent to Washington. – AFP
