Zelensky's Statement on Ukraine's Territories

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his views regarding the recent comments made by Trump's special representative, Steve Witkoff, on the "five territories" that he claims are pivotal for a peace agreement.

Zelensky made these remarks during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa, as reported by "Interfax-Ukraine" and "European Truth".

The President emphasized that Ukraine is a sovereign nation, and only its people have the right to discuss its territories. He stated, "All territories belong to the unitary state of Ukraine. Therefore, only the people of Ukraine can speak about our territories. For us, it is a red line to recognize any temporarily occupied territories as Russian rather than Ukrainian."

Zelensky further added that relevant representatives are discussing matters beyond their competence.

Special representative Steve Witkoff of the United States mentioned in a Fox News interview that the peace agreement would involve resolving the issue of the "so-called five territories," without specifying what those territories are.

Earlier, in a notable interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff stated that the biggest issue in this conflict involves the "so-called four regions," but when he began to list them, he counted five: "Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk, and two others."

Following these comments, Reuters reported that some actions and statements from the U.S. envoy related to the resolution of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine faced criticism from the White House and among Republicans.