ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for painful concessions to Russia as he moved ahead Tuesday to rally more European support for his country.
“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late Monday.
“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”
In an interview with Politico released Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump again pressed Zelenskyy to accept the U.S. proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, arguing that Moscow retains the “upper hand” in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelenskyy’s government must “play ball.”
Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome and with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. The Vatican said the pope “reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace.”
The Holy See has tried to stay neutral in the war while offering solidarity and assistance to what it calls the “martyred” people of Ukraine. Leo, who has met three times with Zelenskyy and has spoken by telephone at least once with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for a ceasefire and urged Moscow in particular to make gestures promoting peace.
On Monday, Zelenskyy held talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from Trump.
Facing US pressure
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the Trump administration’s peace proposal.
A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must give up control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies firmly resist the idea of handing over land.
“You know, a lot of people are dying,” Trump told Politico on Monday, claiming that other Ukrainian officials that he identified only as Zelenskyy’s “lieutenants, his top people” agree with the U.S. administration.
Other than Zelenskyy’s comments Monday, Ukrainian negotiators have said very little in public about the content of the U.S. proposal or their attitude toward it.
Russia, Trump reasoned, remains too powerful for Ukraine to continue fighting.
“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” he said. “But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”
Trump also repeated his call for Ukraine to hold a presidential election even though martial law doesn’t allow it and Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, had his five-year term extended because of the war. Trump’s position on Ukraine’s failure to hold an election mirrors frequent statements on the subject by Putin.
Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Zelenskyy since winning a second term, insisting U.S. support for Ukraine was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Zelenskyy said Monday that Trump “certainly wants to end the war. … Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland.”
