Ukraine won’t officially recognize occupied territories as Russian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea of officially recognizing the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine as part of Russia.

In an interview with CBN news, he admitted that Ukraine lacks the capacity to liberate the territories and thus may seek a diplomatic solution instead.

“If we had significantly more forces, equipment, and so on—the kind of support we have requested from our partners—we could advance more rapidly on the front lines. If we lack sufficient strength, of course, some issues could be resolved diplomatically. But we will not legally recognize the occupied territories as Russian territory,” he said.

But he also made it clear that if Ukraine were to agree to recognise the territories as Russian, that would mean that “we have forgiven Russia, and the world has already calmed down.”

“Many people used to live there. They lost their homes, some lost their lives, many are in captivity, and tens of thousands of children have been deported. They have destroyed so much. How can we recognize our land as Russian? Does that mean forgiving them for everything?” the president rhetorically asked.

The statement comes as Trump’s administration is floating the idea of a peace push that may entail territorial concessions to Putin. Though the exact conditions of such concessions remain unclear.