Call on Russia to negotiate Zelensky as soon as possible: do not trade territory for peace

 

Zelensky again called on Russia to negotiate an end to the war as soon as possible. (Reuters)

[Comprehensive Report] Ukraine has resisted Russia for more than a month, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has remained at his post, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate face-to-face in order to reach a peace agreement. But Zelensky reiterated that the bottom line for negotiations is that territory will not be exchanged for a peace deal.

According to comprehensive foreign media reports, Zelensky delivered a speech on Friday evening local time, responding to the statement of Sergei Rudskoi, the head of military operations at the Russian General Staff Headquarters, that "the Russian army has completed the first phase of the goal, and the next step is to focus on the liberation of the Donbass".

Zelensky again urged Russia to negotiate as soon as possible to end the war, but he also said Ukraine would not agree to give up its territory in exchange for peace. However, Zelensky has stated that any agreement or compromise involving "historic" changes must be decided by the Ukrainian people through a referendum.

However, the terms of Putin's previous call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan included the question of the status of Ukraine's Donbass and Crimea, namely the recognition of Crimea as belonging to Russia and recognition of the pre-war status. The sovereign status of Luhansk and Donetsk proclaimed independence.