Zelensky Vows Not To Cede Territory As Trump Says Russia Has ‘Upper Hand’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remained committed to retaining all Ukrainian territory on Monday, pushing back against a key demand in the Trump-initiated proposal to end the war.

After meeting with European leaders to discuss the peace proposal, Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian leaders lacked the authority to give up land and would continue to fight to defend all of its territory.

“Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, according to The Washington Post. “That is what we are fighting for.”

President Donald Trump told POLITICO in a wide-ranging interview that was released on Tuesday that Ukraine needs to “play ball,” adding that “Russia has the upper hand.”

“They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense. I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the bravery and for the fighting and all of that. But you know, at some point, size will win, generally,” Trump added.

Trump’s 28-point peace plan, which is on the table before Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, reportedly requires Ukraine to hand over some of its territory to Russia in exchange for the United States giving Ukraine security guarantees. Trump told POLITICO that Zelensky needs to “get on the ball and start accepting things.”

The two biggest hurdles to a peace deal are territorial disputes over Ukraine’s Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. Russian forces now control most of the Donbas, but Ukraine has not given up the region. Kellogg said over the weekend that Ukraine and Russia are “really, really close” to a deal, but Zelensky’s latest remark and comments from Russian officials suggest otherwise.

Putin’s top foreign policy aide said on Sunday that the United States needs to make “radical changes” to its proposal before Russia moves forward with a deal.

The president said that Russia’s continued missile strikes on Ukraine, which have killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks, are “a sad thing for humanity.”

On Sunday, Trump said that he was “disappointed” in Zelensky’s lack of movement on peace negotiations, accusing the Ukrainian leader of not reading the proposal to end the Ukraine-Russia war.

“His people love it, but he has it. Russia is fine with it … but I’m not sure Zelensky is fine with it,” Trump said.

Trump also called on Zelensky to hold an election, something Ukraine has not done since the beginning of the war in February 2022.

“I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election, but, I would think the Ukrainian people should have that choice,” Trump said. “And maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win. But they haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”