"This will not work". Zelenskyy rejects recognition of Ukrainian territories as Russian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposed the possibility of Russian recognition of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The head of state said this during a joint press conferences with the prime minister of Poland Donald Tusk in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said that he was aware of new reports that the recognition of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian is "one of the signals of the end of the war."

The president said he did not know who was providing such information.

He also emphasized that even if someone recognizes Ukrainian territories as Russian, "it will do nothing."

The head of state added that, firstly, not all countries would go for it, recalling such a position of the Polish PM.

Secondly, Ukraine has its own president who signs the relevant important documents, and not other leaders who do it for Kyiv, Zelenskyy emphasized.

Therefore, the territories of Ukraine belong to it, despite the fact that they have the status of temporarily occupied, the president summarized.

Earlier, the Russian propaganda agency TASS said that Moscow allegedly wants all countries to recognize Ukrainian Donbas as Russian within the framework of a "grand treaty." At the same time, the occupiers cited an alleged "Western source in Abu Dhabi," the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where on February 4 and 5 negotiations were held Ukraine, Russia, and the US.

There is no official confirmation of this.

• As a result of the talks in the UAE, the first in more than four months prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow.
• One of Russia's main demands is the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Ukrainian Donbas. On February 4, president Zelenskyy said that the complete seizure of this territory will cost Russia 800,000 casualties and the occupiers "will not last that long".