Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his new subdued stance in another interview, stating that the Russia-Ukraine war needs to end and Kyiv was willing to give up territory to Russia in order to reach a ceasefire agreement with Moscow.
Russia-Ukraine war: In a major development which could change the course of the bloody conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated he is willing to cede occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia to “achieve peace”.
According to a report by UK-based daily, The Telegraph, Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv is willing to work out a ceasefire deal with Moscow, and ready to cede the occupied territory to Russia, albeit with some conditions.
“I am willing to give up Ukrainian territory to Russia to achieve peace,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by the British newspaper.
The Ukrainian President said his country was ready to vacate its occupied lands and hand them over to Russia, but only under the ‘umbrella of NATO’.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is wiling to ‘temporarily’ hand over its territory which is currently occupied by Russia– to Moscow in an effort to end the war, provided it happens under the protection of NATO, the report said.
This is the first time Zelenskyy has even mentioned conceding Ukrainian land to Russia since the war broke out in early 2022.
The Ukrainian President asserted that ceding of Ukrainian territory to Russia will be ‘temporary’, and after a ceasefire deal is reached, Ukraine, with NATO’s help, can later “diplomatically” negotiate the return of its territory, which is currently under Russian occupied.
“But right now, it has become necessary to end the war and achieve peace”.
“We are willing to give up the territory of Ukraine, which is currently occupied by Russians, if we we want to stop this terrible phase of the war,” Zelenskyy told Sky News in an interview. “We need to do this and do it fast, late Ukraine can get back its territory diplomatically,” he asserted.
Zelenskyy’s comments mark a significant shift from his earlier stance when he had stated that Kyiv will continue its fight against Russia until Ukraine returns to its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea as well as the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022.
Credit : India.com
