Zelensky: No One Recognizes Occupied Territories as Part of Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Kyiv will never recognize the occupied territories as part of Russia.

In a conversation with CNN, Zelensky pointed to the possibility of freezing the current front lines so that "the fire stops, the killings stop, and the sides sit down and talk". At the same time, he said that for Russia to give up the territories currently under Ukrainian control is completely unacceptable.

"Our land is very important, because it concerns people and not kilometers. Many people died defending this land, our independence and our country. No one recognizes these temporarily occupied territories as Russian territories, and I think Russia understands this. It is unfortunate if someone does not understand this, but that is already their business", Zelensky said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that talk of Ukraine's territorial losses is inappropriate. "This is my attitude to this issue: this is not their territory, this is historical Russian territory. Moreover, the people living on these territories, first, voted in favor of state independence, and at the second stage - and I want to emphasize this - supported joining the Russian Federation. So I think talk of territorial losses is inappropriate. This is a disputed issue, and the debate on this topic can go on endlessly", Putin said.