Ukraine’s Zelensky calls for fair peace with no ‘rewards’ for Putin
The president’s remarks come amid reports that the US wants Kyiv to cede Crimea to Russia as part of a deal to end the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Tuesday for a “fair” end to the war with Russia without “rewards” for Vladimir Putin, pushing back against demands for Kyiv to make territorial concessions.
“We all want this war to end in a fair way – with no rewards for Putin, especially no land,” Zelensky said via videoconference at a summit organised by Poland.
The comment comes amid reports the United States suggested to freeze the front lines and accept the Russian control of the Crimean peninsula that it seized in 2014, something Zelensky has refused.
But US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believed Zelensky might concede the Black Sea peninsula as part of a settlement.
Russia has also repeatedly demanded to keep the territory in southern and eastern Ukraine that it occupies and for Kyiv to cede even more land.
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Moscow holds about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory after launching its grinding assault that has killed thousands of people.