Zelenskyy on Witkoff's statement: For us it is red line to recognize any occupied territories as Russian

17:29, 15.04.2025 1 min read

Ukraine is a sovereign state, and only the Ukrainian people can speak about its territories, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"Regarding the territory. Ukraine is a sovereign state, and all territories belong to the unitary state of Ukraine. Therefore, once again, only the people of Ukraine can speak about the territories of our state. And you know that for us it is a red line to recognize any temporarily occupied territories as not Ukrainian, but Russian. Therefore, once again, the relevant representatives are discussing issues beyond their competence," Zelenskyy said during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa.

Earlier, U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Monday that the peace deal would include resolving the "so-called five territories," without elaborating on what exactly was being discussed.