{"id":622742,"date":"2025-12-09T19:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/622742\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T19:58:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T19:58:00","slug":"zelenskyy-reaffirms-his-refusal-to-cede-land-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/622742\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelenskyy reaffirms his refusal to cede land to Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME (AP) \u2014 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for painful concessions to Russia as he moved ahead Tuesday to rally more European support<\/a> for his country.<\/p>\n

\u201cUndoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don\u2019t want to give up anything. That\u2019s what we are fighting for,\u201d Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat<\/a> late Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don\u2019t have such right,\u201d he said. \u201cAccording to Ukraine\u2019s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don\u2019t have a moral right either.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with Politico released Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> pressed Zelenskyy to accept the U.S. proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, arguing Moscow has the \u201cupper hand\u201d in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelenskyy\u2019s government must \u201cplay ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n AP AUDIO: Zelenskyy reaffirms his refusal to cede land to Russia as he rallies European support\n <\/p>\n

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr says his country will not cede territory to Russia.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy met in Rome with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, discussing the progress of the peace process, her office said. They emphasized the importance of U.S. and European unity and of solutions \u201cthat will have repercussions on the continent\u2019s security,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

They also discussed \u201cdeveloping robust security guarantees to prevent future aggression and maintaining pressure on Russia to join the negotiating table in good faith,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV<\/a> at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome. The Vatican said Leo reiterated the need for continuing dialogue and \u201cexpressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Holy See has tried to stay neutral in the war while offering solidarity and assistance to what it calls the \u201cmartyred\u201d people of Ukraine. Leo has met three times with Zelenskyy and has spoken by telephone at least once with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling for a ceasefire and urging Moscow to make gestures promoting peace.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Zelenskyy held talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to strengthen Ukraine\u2019s hand amid mounting impatience from Trump. <\/p>\n

Ukraine faces US pressure<\/p>\n

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the Trump administration\u2019s peace proposal.<\/p>\n

A major sticking point is the suggestion that Kyiv must give up control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies firmly resist the idea of handing over land.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, a lot of people are dying,\u201d Trump told Politico on Monday, claiming that other Ukrainian officials that he identified only as Zelenskyy\u2019s \u201clieutenants, his top people\u201d agree with the U.S. administration.<\/p>\n

Other than Zelenskyy\u2019s comments Monday, Ukrainian negotiators have said little in public about the content of the U.S. proposal or their attitude toward it.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters again Tuesday on WhatsApp, Zelenskyy said three documents were being discussed with American and European partners \u2014 a 20-point framework document that is constantly changing, a document on security guarantees and a document about Ukraine\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine\u2019s updated version of the proposal would be given to the U.S. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Russia, Trump said, is too powerful for Ukraine to continue fighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you know, at some point, size will win, generally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump also repeated his call for Ukraine to hold a presidential election even though martial law doesn\u2019t allow it and Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, had his five-year term extended because of the war. Trump\u2019s position on Ukraine\u2019s failure to hold an election mirrors frequent statements on the subject by Putin.<\/p>\n

Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Zelenskyy since winning a second term, insisting U.S. support for Ukraine was a waste of taxpayers\u2019 money.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy said Monday that Trump \u201ccertainly wants to end the war. … Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances. We perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putin, speaking Tuesday with pro-Kremlin activists, reaffirmed his claim that the Donbas is Russia\u2019s \u201chistoric territory\u201d and vowed to fulfill his war goals. \u201cWe will certainly take it to the logical conclusion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

European leaders repeat support for Kyiv<\/p>\n

Starmer, Macron and Merz strongly backed Kyiv, with the U.K. leader saying Monday that the push for peace was at a \u201ccritical stage\u201d and stressing the need for \u201ca just and lasting ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merz, meanwhile, said he was \u201cskeptical\u201d about some details in documents released by the U.S. \u201cWe have to talk about it. That\u2019s why we are here,\u201d he said. \u201cThe coming days \u2026 could be a decisive time for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the U.S. to deter Russia from attacking again. Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy and his European allies have repeatedly accused Putin of slow-walking the talks to press ahead with the invasion.<\/p>\n

Both sides exchange aerial strikes<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s air force said Russia fired 110 drones across the country overnight. While air defenses neutralized 84 drones, 24 more struck their targets.<\/p>\n

Several regions of Ukraine faced emergency blackouts Tuesday due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine\u2019s national energy operator, Ukrenergo.<\/p>\n

U.N. deputy humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya said Tuesday only 65% of the $278 million required to fund a winter response plan in Ukraine has been received, forcing cuts to services like cash assistance, heating support, mental health care and protection for women and girls.<\/p>\n

This means families are facing freezing temperatures without heating, women and girls are losing access to \u201csafe spaces\u201d and older people in front-line areas are left without the means to evacuate, she told the U.N. Security Council.<\/p>\n

The U.K. Defense Ministry said a member of the British military died Tuesday of his injuries from an accident while observing Ukrainian troops test a defensive system away from the front lines \u2014 the first U.K. servicemember to die in Ukraine in the war. It was not immediately clear what role he was serving or where the accident occurred.<\/p>\n

The U.K. military has said a small of number of personnel are in Ukraine to protect British diplomats and support Ukrainian troops.<\/p>\n

Ukraine also continued its drone attacks on Russia.<\/p>\n

Russia said it destroyed 121 drones in various regions and in the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. In Chuvashia, a region about 900 kilometers (about 560 miles) northeast of the Ukrainian border, an attack damaged residential buildings and injured nine people, Gov. Oleg Nikolayev said.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s Security Service carried out a drone attack on a liquefied gas terminal at the port of Temryuk in Russia\u2019s Krasnodar region on Dec. 5, according to an official with knowledge of the operation who spoke to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the strike sparked a fire at the facility, with more than 20 storage tanks set ablaze for over three days. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Brian Melley in London and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME (AP) \u2014 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":622743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7655],"tags":[32,105966,2595,34,299,1945,4179,2440,8614,125002,108292,807,8617,82846,78067,193590,285,41442,332,7661,657,7662,11654,333,2601,7660,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-622742","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-russia","8":"tag-donald-trump","9":"tag-drone-surveillance-and-warfare","10":"tag-drones","11":"tag-emmanuel-macron","12":"tag-europe","13":"tag-friedrich-merz","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-giorgia-meloni","16":"tag-international-agreements","17":"tag-italy-government","18":"tag-joyce-msuya","19":"tag-keir-starmer","20":"tag-military-and-defense","21":"tag-military-occupations","22":"tag-military-technology","23":"tag-oleg-nikolayev","24":"tag-politics","25":"tag-pope-leo-xiv","26":"tag-russia","27":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","28":"tag-ukraine","29":"tag-ukraine-government","30":"tag-united-kingdom-government","31":"tag-vladimir-putin","32":"tag-volodymyr-zelenskyy","33":"tag-war-and-unrest","34":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115691382578049621","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}