Zelenskyy comments on Telegraph article on readiness to exchange territories

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that The Telegraph's article about Ukraine's alleged readiness to exchange territories is a preparation of the information field. The head of state made the comment at a meeting with journalists, the correspondent reports. LIGA.net.

Zelenskyy recalled that The Telegraph had written that he was allegedly ready to exchange territories. The Head of State clarified that he had not spoken to the newspaper's journalists.

"But I am an experienced enough person to understand how the information field is being prepared. They ask: "Is Ukraine ready to exchange". Then they look at the reactions of certain people, civil society, bloggers, journalists, and the population. The appropriate information ground is simply being prepared," Zelensky said.

He emphasized that he was not going to surrender his country, as he had no right to do so.

"And the question is not that I am hiding behind the Constitution. Is the state private property? Is 30% of Donetsk region my private property? Or yours? Or someone else's? The exchange of territories is a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine, for our sovereign state and our people," Zelensky added.

On August 11, the newspaper The Telegraph wrote that Ukraine was allegedly considering ending hostilities and actually handing over the territories it already holds to Russia as part of a European Union-backed peace plan.

The article says that Zelenskiy allegedly told European leaders that they should reject any settlement proposed by US President Donald Trump, in which Ukraine would cede additional territory but would be allowed to keep some of the land it has seized.

This would mean freezing the front line and transferring de facto control over the occupied territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia regions and Crimea to Russia.

The softening of the negotiating stance came on the eve of talks between Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, journalists write.

• On August 9, Trump announced that had agreed to meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15. He confirmed that the US is considering a "territory swap" between Ukraine and Russia as part of this process "for the benefit of both sides".
• Zelensky said that Ukraine will not give its land to the occupier and the answer to the Ukrainian territorial issue is already in the Constitution of Ukraine.
• Senator Graham said, that Russia and Ukraine will have to exchange some territories to end the war, but Kyiv must receive security guarantees so that Russian aggression does not happen again.