Russia continues to insist that Ukraine withdraw completely from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions - a position that has remained unchanged since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists, quoted by the BBC, reports News.bg.
According to him, Ukraine has no intention of giving up territories in Donbas.
„The Russians want our complete withdrawal from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. I explained this to both President Trump and Steve Witkoff - Ukraine's position has not changed. "We understand that Witkoff is simply conveying Russia's position, without this being his personal opinion," Zelensky told "Suspilne."
He added that he had asked Witkoff whether Russia could once again make territorial claims after the end of the war through changes to its constitution. "If this is possible, then the model simply does not work," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president welcomed Donald Trump's proposal to halt hostilities on the current front line, which he said could be a step towards ending the war.
After meeting with Trump in Washington on Friday, Zelensky said he had tried to understand Russia's true intentions regarding possible territorial compromises, but there was still no clear position from Moscow.
He confirmed that Ukraine would receive Patriot air defense systems annually, with a contract currently being prepared for 25 such complexes. Regarding his request for Tomahawk missiles, Zelensky said that Trump did not want an escalation before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
Zelensky also pointed out that the Hungarian capital was not the most suitable place for negotiations, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban often blocks initiatives in support of Ukraine.
“If Ukraine accepts everything that is imposed on it, then others will try to solve everything else without us“, he stressed, adding that the talks in Washington were focused solely on territorial issues, without touching on topics such as the army, religion or language.
After his meeting with Zelensky, Trump publicly called for a ceasefire on the front line. “We believe that they should stop where they are - at the line of demarcation“, the US president said. When asked if he had suggested that Ukraine hand over all of Donbas to Russia, Trump denied it, stressing that the region was already divided and that "about 78 percent of it is under Russian control."
However, on Sunday, the Financial Times reported that Trump had advised Zelensky to hand over Donbas to Russia, claiming that otherwise Vladimir Putin would "destroy Ukraine."