Zelenskyy: Ceding Land For Peace Is Not An Option For Russia-Ukraine Negotiations

It is almost one year since Russia first invaded Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that if Russia and Ukraine want to negotiate a peace agreement, ceding land for peace will not be one of the possible options. Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the cession of land may make Russia insatiable, and only the weapons of Western countries can bring the two countries closer to peace. Talking about how the Russia-Ukraine war might end, he said, “Today, unity is our way to survive… I believe Ukraine is fighting for survival” and that Ukraine is moving closer to Europe, both economically and in terms of values. Zelenskyy said: “We have chosen this path. We want to be guaranteed security. Any compromise on the territory will weaken our country. Compromise itself is not the point. Why should we be afraid of compromise? We face millions of compromises in our lives every day.” He added that the Russian offensive, previously expected in the spring, had already begun and that “Russian forces have launched attacks from many places”. Zelenskyy is confident that Ukrainian forces can continue to hold off Russian attacks until they can mount a counteroffensive, but he has repeatedly called on Western countries to provide more military aid. He said: “There is no doubt that modern weapons can hasten the arrival of peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands.” The BBC asked Zelenskyy if he was surprised by the tactics of the Russian army. He replied that those tactics were “worthless”. (Their tactic) is to destroy everything. If the Russian army receives (and executes) those orders, it means that they have the same values from top to bottom.