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Ukraine ready for diplomacy with Russia but won't give up its territories – Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President

22 October 2025 22:35 (UTC +04:00)

Ukraine is ready to hold talks with Russia, but has no intention of withdrawing from its territories to achieve that. More pressure on the Kremlin is needed to push it toward real negotiations, stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists in Sweden, APA reports citing RBC Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine supports a ceasefire, as it has stated before. However, not on the condition of giving up any territory, since there will be no gifts to Russia, and only after security guarantees, which were discussed with US President Donald Trump.

"We support the idea of a ceasefire and are ready to move toward diplomacy, but not under conditions that require us to withdraw and hand over our territory to Russia. This is not about kilometers — it's about our people, our identity, and our territorial integrity," Zelenskyy explained.

He also stressed that Ukraine sees no genuine diplomatic readiness from Russia to engage in real talks. According to him, all the Kremlin is doing is trying to use calls to delay really important decisions by the US and Europe.

"Such as imposing sanctions or transferring/selling Tomahawks to Ukraine. In this way, they are simply stalling unconditional decisions that are part of the pressure on Russia," the President concluded.