Zelensky refuses to cede land to Russia as he rallies European support

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his refusal to cede any territory, resisting US pressure for a compromise with Russia as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Mr Zelensky said in a WhatsApp chat late on Monday in which he answered reporters’ questions.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right. According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”

In an interview with Politico released on Tuesday, US president Donald Trump again pressed Mr Zelensky to accept the American proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russian president Vladimir Putin, arguing that Russia retained the “upper hand” and that Mr Zelensky’s government must “play ball”.

The Ukrainian president met early on Tuesday with Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome, and is to have talks with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni later.

The Vatican said Leo had “reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace”.

The Holy See has tried to remain neutral in the war while offering solidarity and assistance to what it calls the “martyred” people of Ukraine.

Leo has now met three times with Mr Zelensky and has spoken by telephone at least once with Mr Putin.

The American pope has called for a ceasefire and urged Russia in particular to make gestures to promote peace.

Mr Zelensky held talks on Monday in London with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from Mr Trump.

US and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the American administration’s peace proposal.

A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory.

Ukraine and its European allies have firmly resisted the idea of handing over land.

“You know, a lot of people are dying,” Mr Trump told Politico, claiming that other unnamed Ukrainian officials agreed with the US administration.

“His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn’t read it yet,” Mr Trump said.

Russia, Mr Trump reasoned, remained too powerful for Ukraine to continue fighting.

“I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the, you know, bravery and for the fighting and all of that,” he said.

“But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”

Mr Trump also amplified his calls for Ukraine to hold national elections even though the martial law does not allow it, and Mr Zelensky, elected in 2019, had his five-year term extended because of the war.

“They’re using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people would… should have that choice,” Mr 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.”

Mr Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Mr Zelensky since winning a second term, insisting the war was a waste of US taxpayers’ money.

Mr Trump has also repeatedly urged the Ukrainians to cede land to Russia to end the nearly four-year conflict.

Mr Zelensky said on Monday that Mr Trump “certainly wants to end the war… Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland.”

He said the current US peace plan differed from earlier versions in that it now had 20 points, down from 28, after he said some “obvious anti-Ukrainian points were removed”.

Mr Starmer, Mr Macron and Mr Merz strongly backed Kyiv, with the Prime Minister saying on Monday that the push for peace was at a “critical stage”, and stressed the need for “a just and lasting ceasefire”.

Meanwhile, Mr Merz said he was “sceptical” about some details in documents released by the US.

“We have to talk about it. That’s why we are here,” he said.

“The coming days… could be a decisive time for all of us.”

European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the US, to deter Russia from attacking again.

Mr Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.

Mr Zelensky and his European allies have repeatedly accused Mr Putin of slow-walking the talks to press ahead with the invasion, as his forces are making slow but steady gains while waves of missiles and drones are pummelling Ukrainian infrastructure.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 110 drones of various types across the country last night. They said air defences neutralised 84 drones, 24 more had struck their targets.

Several regions of Ukraine faced emergency blackouts on Tuesday because of Russia’s prior attacks on energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo.

Ukraine, in its turn, continued its drone attacks on Russia.

Russian air defences destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and occupied Crimea, Russia’s ministry of defence said on Tuesday.

In Chuvashia, a region about 560 miles (900km) north-east of the border with Ukraine, the attack damaged residential buildings and injured nine people, local governor Oleg Nikolayev said in an online statement.

Ukraine’s security service carried out a drone attack on an LPG terminal at the port of Temryuk in Russia’s Krasnodar region on December 5, according to an official with knowledge of the operation who spoke to The Associated Press.