The Telegraph Claims Zelenskyy Open to Limited Territorial Concessions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reportedly prepared to discuss potential territorial concessions to achieve peace with Russia, Orda.kz reports, citing The Telegraph.

According to the British outlet, which cites its sources, Zelenskyy has softened his position ahead of planned talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

A Softened Stance

While he was previously firmly opposed to any concessions, he is now willing to consider them — on the condition that Russia does not receive more land than it currently holds.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told European leaders they must reject any deal offered by Donald Trump that requires Ukraine to give up more territory. But Russia can keep some of the territory it has already seized,  The Telegraph reported, citing a Western official involved in the talks. 

The proposed arrangement could freeze the conflict along the current front line, transferring to Russia the areas it presently controls in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, and possibly recognizing the annexation of Crimea.

European leaders are concerned about the Trump–Putin meeting. The Kremlin continues to demand Kyiv’s “complete capitulation,” including abandoning NATO membership plans.

Ukraine, for its part, would only accept a peace deal that includes substantial security guarantees.

Trump has previously said he would try to negotiate a “swap” of territories between Ukraine and Russia, promising to first present the outcome to Zelenskyy and then to European leaders.

EU representatives are scheduled to meet with Trump on Wednesday, August 13, to present their position before the Alaska talks.

Regardless of the meeting’s outcome, Ukraine’s options for concessions remain narrow.

Kyiv cannot afford to cede additional territory, especially in the eastern Donetsk region because this would allow Russian troops to freely bypass the fortifications built at the very beginning of the war in Donbas in 2014, The Telegraph notes.

New Attacks?

Separately, on August 12. Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their support and “an active approach to diplomacy that can help end the war with a just peace.”

At the same time, he noted:

We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are carrying out redeployments that indicate preparations for new offensive operations. In such conditions, it is important that nothing threatens the unity of the world.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny