Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Tuesday that Ukraine does not recognize Donbas as part of Russia either de facto or de jure, LETA reports citing Ukrainska Pravda.
"As for the position of the Russians, it has not changed so far. You know that they want Donbas. Our position is practical, realistic, and fair. We insist on it; we do not want to give up Donbas," Zelensky said to Ukrainian journalists.
"The Americans want to find a compromise. They propose a free economic zone. I emphasize once again: a free economic zone does not mean ownership by the Russian Federation," the President of Ukraine added.
He noted that the territorial issue is being discussed, but Kyiv does not recognize the temporarily occupied part of Donbas as Russian. This will not be recognized either de facto or de jure, the president emphasized.
"Despite this, we will discuss the territorial issue. You know that this is one of the most important [issues]. So far, we do not have a consensus," Zelensky added.
During negotiations in Berlin, American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner pressured Ukrainian representatives, demanding that Kyiv abandon the part of Donbas it controls.
