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Throughout Washington’s quest to bring an end to the Ukraine war, one issue has continued to prove insurmountable – territory concessions. The upcoming trilateral summit between Washington, Moscow and Kiev, set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to address these disagreements. The nation’s Dictator Vladimir Zelensky however announced that he will stand in defiance of diplomacy.
“This time, we intend to discuss a broader range of issues, including the main questions concerning territories… and those related to the demands we have,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
RT detailed Russia’s position on the disputed Ukrainian territory:
Moscow maintains that any sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from the areas still under its control in Donbass – which voted to join Russia in 2022 – remain outside NATO, and commit to demilitarization and denazification. Russia also demands Kiev recognize its new borders, including Crimea. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions.
Ukraine’s Dictator became defiant Monday morning as territory became a topic of discussion. He asserted absolute resolve in his continued unwillingness to cede any land in exchange for peace.
This is a big mistake to allow the aggressor to take something. It was a big mistake at the very beginning, starting with 2014. And even before that, during the attack and occupation of parts of Georgia. And even before that, when Chechnya was occupied, with total destruction and one million casualties – both killed and wounded.
Many mistakes were made. That’s why now I don’t want to be the President who will repeat the mistakes made by my predecessors or other people. I’m not just speaking about Ukraine. I’m speaking about the leaders of different countries that allowed an aggressive country like Russia to come onto their territory.
Because you can’t stop Putin with your kisses or flowers. I never did it and that’s why I don’t feel that it’s the right way. My advice to everybody – don’t do that with Putin.
Otherwise, there will be a first step, then in five years, he will rebuild his military, increase the number of soldiers, his army will be well trained. Because he has lost a lot of well-trained people. He is losing 30–35 thousand people per month now.
Can you imagine this in the 21st century? Can you imagine – he’s losing 35,000 each month? I’m not sure that he knows about it.
Earlier in the month the two warring nations met in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. A prisoner of war swap was agreed to, but territory issues remained.
In December Zelensky had a different tune. He announced that a territory swap would be acceptable to him, assuming there was a vote. This vote was never held, likely at the behest of a Dictator who would prefer for those statements to be forgotten about in the fog of war.
“The Russians want the whole of Donbass – we don’t accept that. I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say,” Zelensky said in December.
Just days prior the Dictator shut the door on President Donald Trump’s peace plan by refusing territory swaps.
Trump’s peace plan was put forth in November and included territorial concessions, which would have brought the war to a close.
Following Zelensky’s White House visit on October 17 that failed to secure long-range missiles to escalate the war, the Dictator decided to remain defiant of peace, refuse to give up any territory to end the war, call for increased pressure on Russia instead of a truce, then proceed to lie that Kiev wants peace while Moscow doesn’t. This is not a new behavior however, Zelensky has a history of defiance.
Ukraine has never sought war. We agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, looked for opportunities for peace, and repeatedly offered the world ways to stop the strikes in the sky, on land, and at sea. But it is Russia that continually obstructs this process – manipulating, dragging out negotiations, terrorizing our people with airstrikes, and intensifying assaults along the front line. The war continues only because Moscow does not want it to end.
Almost every day, Russian terrorists carry out hundreds of attacks on our critical and civilian infrastructure. This week alone, Russia has used more than 3,270 attack drones, 1,370 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of various types against Ukraine. We are constantly strengthening our defense and working with partners to enhance air defense: the PURL initiative, investments in Ukraine’s defense industry, bilateral and multilateral formats. Putin cannot be stopped with words – pressure is needed. The world sees that Russia responds to strength, which means that peace through strength can work. Ukraine will never grant terrorists any bounty for their crimes, and we count on our partners to uphold this very position. Decisive steps are needed from the United States, Europe, the G20 and G7 countries. Lives must be protected. I thank everyone who is helping in this effort.
The December instance of dictatorial defiance along with October’s mixed messaging was reminiscent of September, when Zelensky also refused to cede territory.
In an interview with Axios in September, the Dictator said “We will never recognize these territories that are temporarily occupied by Russia. We cannot do this.”
It is possible Washington will push Kiev to cede land, as RT reported Monday, “U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday confirmed that Geneva talks will include American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, neither of whom attended the previous round. Ukraine’s delegation will be led by national security chief Rustem Umerov.”
