Ukraine will not recognize Donbas as russian and will not agree to its transfer - Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv does not intend to give up the Donbas and does not recognize the temporarily occupied territories as part of russia either legally or factually. He said this when answering questions from journalists.

The head of state said that the United States offers the option of creating a free economic zone, but this does not mean russian control over the region. "We do not want to give away our Donbas. The Americans want to find a compromise, they offer a free economic zone. I'll emphasize once again that a free economic zone does not mean that it should be under the leadership of the Russian Federation. These are important features of any format of the Donbas for me," Zelenskyy emphasized.

He emphasized that Ukraine's position on the status of the occupied part of the Donbas remains unchanged, although the territorial issue is at the center of the negotiations. "We will not recognize the Donbas as Russian either de jure or de facto, the part that is temporarily occupied. But, nevertheless, we will discuss the issue of the territory. You know that it is one of the key issues, we have no consensus on this issue yet," the President said.

Zelenskyy's statements came amid discussions of the revised US peace plan and the talks that took place in Berlin on December 14-15 with the participation of Ukraine, the US and European partners. According to Western media, the territorial issue remains the main point of disagreement, as Washington insists on compromises that Kyiv considers unacceptable.

The President also previously noted that only the people of Ukraine can make any final decisions on the territories, but the issue of a referendum is not currently on the table. At the same time, he said, Ukraine is ready for elections after the ceasefire is reached.