President Volodymyr Zelensky explained his understanding of the ceasefire proposed by Ukrainian and American officials this week, saying his country would not make any territorial concessions. Additionally, Kiev expects “strong steps” from President Donald Trump should Moscow reject the plan.
Discussing the ceasefire proposal on Wednesday, Zelensky said, “We are fighting for our independence. Therefore, we will not recognize any occupied territories as Russia’s,” adding, “Our people have fought for this, our heroes died. How many injured, how many passed. No one will forget about it… This is the most important red line. We will not let anyone forget about this crime against Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s refusal to give up territory makes it unlikely the Kremlin will agree to the ceasefire, as Russian officials insist the five Ukrainian provinces annexed by Moscow will never be returned to Kiev. Additionally, Russia says it is seeking a permanent end to the conflict, not a short-term truce.
Even if the ceasefire had multiple points that crossed Russia’s red lines, Zelensky said he expects Trump to sanction Russia and send more arms to Ukraine. On Tuesday, he said, “I understand that we could count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet, but we are talking about sanctions and about strengthening Ukraine.”
Trump has previously threatened severe sanctions and tariffs on Russia if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. Zelensky repeated on Wednesday that he still expected Trump to take those steps if the proposal is rejected. “If [the Russians] are not ready [for a ceasefire], we do hope that the American side will demonstrate exactly what it said,” he stated.
The White House has led Western officials in saying that it is now on Putin to accept the peace plan. “It’s up to Russia now,” Trump said. “Our people are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia.”
While Zelensky’s reluctance to make key concessions suggest that Moscow will reject the proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin will wait to hear the details from US officials before responding.
“Yesterday, both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz mentioned that they would provide us with detailed information about the essence of the conversation that took place in Jeddah through various channels. We need to receive this information first,” the spokesman explained.
