Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any suggestion that Ukraine might recognise Russian control over its occupied territories. His comments came in direct response to a statement by Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US president Donald Trump, who suggested a proposed peace deal could include the so-called settlement of five Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russian forces.
Speaking during a press conference in Odesa, President Zelenskyy was clear that any discussion about Ukraine’s land is not up for negotiation by foreign envoys. He described the notion of recognising the temporary occupation of Ukrainian land as a red line and warned that such discussions were entirely outside the competence of foreign representatives.
“For us, these are red lines. To recognise any temporarily occupied territories as Russian is unacceptable,” Zelenskyy said. He reaffirmed that Ukraine remains a sovereign nation and that only its people can decide the fate of its territory. “Only the people of Ukraine can speak about our state’s land,” he stated.
Witkoff, in an interview with Fox News, had described talks with Russian war criminal Vladimir Putin as “persuasive” and said the peace plan under discussion includes “five territories” and further unspecified components. He also suggested the plan could involve business opportunities that might stabilise Russian-American relations. These remarks have stirred unease in Kyiv, where officials view any deal that compromises Ukrainian sovereignty as a betrayal of international law and justice.
While Ukraine continues to hold firm on its position, discussions have been ongoing with international partners. During his visit to Odesa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Zelenskyy to discuss continued international support, peace proposals, and the broader security situation in the region. The meeting served as another sign of the alliance’s enduring commitment to Ukraine’s fight for freedom and territorial integrity.
Witkoff’s suggestions reflect Donald Trump’s unpredictable and often dismissive approach to international diplomacy. Trump, who remains sympathetic to authoritarian regimes and hostile to traditional Western alliances, has frequently failed to recognise the seriousness of Russia’s war crimes or the resilience of Ukraine’s armed forces. While Witkoff attempts to paint his discussions with the Kremlin as steps toward peace, many in Kyiv view them as dangerously naïve at best and a potential sellout of Ukraine’s sovereignty at worst.
Ukraine has repeatedly made it clear that any peace settlement must respect its territorial boundaries and international law. Kyiv’s refusal to entertain territorial concessions signals to the world that the Ukrainian people will not be pressured into surrender, no matter how persuasive the Kremlin’s puppets claim to be.
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