Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that the citizens of the country will not support a peace agreement that involves a unilateral withdrawal of troops from Donbas. At the same time, according to him, Ukrainians will agree to a freeze along the front line.
Ukrainian citizens will not support a peace agreement that involves a unilateral withdrawal of troops from Donbas and the complete transfer of the region to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Tuesday, February 17, in a phone interview with the American portal Axios following the first day of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Geneva, as reported by DW.
According to the Ukrainian leader, Kyiv and Washington agreed that any peace agreement must be put to a referendum in Ukraine. At the same time, the citizens of the country, as Zelensky noted, will reject the agreement if it involves the withdrawal from Donbas only of the Armed Forces of Ukraine without a similar withdrawal of the Russian army. They will also not support the transfer of the entire region, about 10% of which is still controlled by Ukraine, to Russia.
"Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive <…> me, they will not forgive (the U.S. - Ed.)," Zelensky said. He noted that Ukrainians "cannot understand why" they are being asked to concede additional lands.
Zelensky: Ukrainians Will Accept a Freeze Along the Front Line
At the same time, in the opinion of the President of Ukraine, the citizens of the country would agree to a peace agreement option that freezes the current front line, including in Donbas. "I think that if we include in the document, <…> that we will remain where we are on the line of contact, <...> people will support this in a referendum. This is my opinion," he said.
Zelensky also stated that he is ready for a withdrawal of troops in Donbas, but only if Moscow agrees to withdraw at the same distance. According to him, during previous negotiations, the Russian side promised to consult with the leadership to present a detailed position on the territorial issue.
Zelensky Instructed to "Raise the Issue" of a Meeting with Putin
The President of Ukraine also called a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin the best way to achieve a breakthrough in resolving the territorial issue. Therefore, according to Zelensky, he instructed his negotiating team to raise the issue of a meeting between the two leaders in Geneva.
Earlier, Russian leader's press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is only possible in Moscow. In response, the Ukrainian leader pointed out that he "cannot come to negotiations" in Moscow but is ready to meet with Putin in any country except Russia and Belarus.
