'Putin unable to take Donetsk for 12 years': Zelenskyy's strong pitch on ceding territory day before Trump talks; 'need US on our side'

Time of India

a day ago

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a strong pitch against ceding terroritries like Donetsk to Russia a day before his talks with US President Donald Trump. He said that any discussions involving territories should take place in a trilateral meeting with Ukraine's presence.
Speaking in Brussels with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, he said, "We need real negotiations, which means they can start where the front line is now. The contact line is the best line for talks, and Europeans support this, for which we are thankful. Russia is still unsuccessful in the Donetsk region, and Putin has been unable to take it for 12 years."
"The Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land.
Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at a trilateral Ukraine-United States-Russia meeting. So far, Russia shows no sign that such a trilateral will happen, and if it refuses, new sanctions must follow," he added.
Zelenskyy will be joined by a powerful line-up of European leaders and Nato chiefs as he seeks to secure united backing from the West in the crucial meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday.
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Ahead of the meeting, he also stressed the need for a ceasefire and 'real negotiations.'
Zelenskyy said, 'Europe is united now as it was in 2022 when the full-scale war began, because this unity helps to reach real peace and must stay strong.'
He also called for the killings to stop, even if Putin 'does not want to'.
'Putin has many demands, but we do not know all of them, and if they are as many as reported, it will take time to address them.
This cannot be done under the pressure of weapons, so a ceasefire is necessary to work on a final deal. We will discuss this in Washington. Putin does not want to stop the killings, but he must,' he added.
Von der Leyen, who confirmed she would join Zelenskyy and other leaders at the White House, said, 'I'm very pleased to be here today for the bilateral meetings we just had, and I'm glad to accompany you and other European leaders tomorrow for the meeting with the US President at the White House.
Since the beginning of Russia's brutal invasion, Europe has stood united with Ukraine and will continue to support you for as long as it takes to achieve a just and lasting peace.
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Zelenskyy made clear that any future settlement could not come at the cost of Ukraine's sovereignty. He said negotiations should begin along the current front line, calling it 'the best line for talks'.
Zelenskyy also highlighted Washington's role in shaping peace efforts.
'From the very beginning, when the US President proposed a ceasefire in March as the first step to stop the killings, we supported it as a strong move to push Russia toward real negotiations... We need United States on our side, and I think that President Trump shared that we need peace, but it requires the right steps - steps toward lasting peace that will truly stop Putin, not just create a pause in the war. This is essential for all of us.
'
He further added that Ukraine's security must be tied closely to Europe's future. Zelenskyy said the key questions now were, 'What America's role will be, what Europe's role will be, and what the EU can do. And this is our main task - we need security to work in practice like Article 5 of Nato, and we consider EU accession to be part of security guarantees.'
He said that President Trump and Putin appeared to share views on the matter, which led to discussions on EU accession negotiations.
'There can be no division between Ukraine and Moldova,' Zelenskyy stressed, warning that such a move 'would mean Europe is divided on Ukraine and lacks a common strong position on guarantees, which many in Europe believe would only make things worse.'
In Washington, Zelenskyy would be accompanied by Von der Leyen, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The united front comes after tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump in February, when a heated Oval Office meeting left Kyiv fearing it could be pressurised.
Concern also grew after Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, from which Zelenskyy was excluded, sparking alarms that the US president could favour Moscow.