Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to exchange part of Ukraine’s territory in return for peace. Trump’s suggestion, which did not specify which areas might be swapped, struck a nerve with many Ukrainians, The New York Times reports.

Zelenskyy’s direct refusal risks angering, who has made brokering a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow one of the central goals of his foreign policy, even if the deal would disadvantage Ukraine.

“Peace as trap”: Ukraine may face pressure from US and Russia to accept Kremlin’s demands, says diplomat

This could leave Ukraine vulnarable to concessions it may need to make amid Kyiv’s dependency on Western aid and weapons in the struggle against Russia. 

Trump pushes for concessions

Trump has previously accused Ukraine of making excessively tough demands for a ceasefire. This time, he stated that some territories would need to be swapped and returned. There will be an exchange of territories for the benefit of both sides, he said. His vague comments sparked widespread outrage among Ukrainians.

Ukraine refuses to give up land

Zelenskyy’s stance reflects the overwhelming sentiment in Ukrainian society: territorial concessions are unacceptable. A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll found that over half of Ukrainians believe the country should not cede any land “even if this makes the war last longer and threatens the preservation of independence.”

Military experts warn that such a deal would mean abandoning a key fortified defensive line in northern Donetsk Oblast, between Sloviansk and Kostiantynivka, which has so far held back Russian advances.

Peace talks in Alaska and Moscow’s advantage

Trump has agreed to hold peace talks next Friday in Alaska. For now, Moscow’s approach, not Kyiv’s, appears to have the upper hand on the diplomatic front.

The Ukrainian president has predictably rejected Trump-Putin’s plan to cede territory to Russia, calling any such move unconstitutional and unacceptable. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not give land to the occupier in exchange for a ceasefire, stressing that its borders are already defined in the Constitution and cannot be altered.

Zelenskyy rules out territorial concessions in peace talks

In his 9 August morning video address, Zelenskyy said the answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the Constitution.

“No one will retreat from this and no one can. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” he stated.

He described any settlement reached without Ukraine’s participation as a “dead decision” that would never work, warning that real and lasting peace must be respected by all parties.

The President said Ukraine is ready to work with US President Donald Trump and international partners to secure agreements that will hold over time.

“We are ready together with President Trump, together with all partners, to work for real, and most importantly, lasting peace – peace that will not fall apart because of Moscow’s wishes,” he noted.

According to earlier reports, the Kremlin’s proposal would see Ukraine cede unoccupied, strategically important areas of Donetsk Oblast to Russia while freezing the frontline elsewhere. Analysts assess that such a move would leave Kyiv in a weaker defensive position and give Moscow a better launch point for future offensives.

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