Ukraine will not recognise Donbas as Russian, either de jure or de facto, says Zelensky

The president added that the US is proposing to create a free economic zone in Donbas and is “trying to find a compromise” regarding this territory.

According to Zelensky, the issue of these territories was raised during negotiations with the American side, but he stressed that Ukraine will not recognise the territories seized by Russia as Russian.

“Neither de jure nor de facto will we recognise Donbas as Russian, the part that is temporarily occupied. However, we will discuss the issue of territory. You know that it is one of the key issues, and we haven’t reached a consensus on this matter yet,” he said.

Earlier, Politico reported that the US is demanding that Ukraine, as part of a potential peace agreement, withdraw from the territory of the Donetsk region not occupied by Russia “one way or another”, which is also what Russia wants.

At the same time, the Ukrainian President explained that Ukraine is not considering the possibility of transferring any of its territories, as this is not permitted by either Ukrainian or international law.