Presidential aide: Ukraine will not cede territory for peace

Ukraine will not cede any of its territory in exchange for peace, and any territorial concessions would be a betrayal of the Ukrainian people, Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration, said.

In an interview with The Atlantic, he underlined that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will never accept such terms, Caliber.Az reports.

“Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory,” Yermak noted, adding that as long as Zelenskyy is president, no one should count on Ukraine giving up territory.

He noted that any territorial concession would violate Ukraine’s constitution and run counter to the will of the Ukrainian people.

On the question of land, Yermak said Ukraine is only ready to discuss defining the line separating territories controlled by the warring sides.

“And that’s what we need to do,” he emphasised.

The presidential aide outlined Ukraine’s position for the next round of talks for the first time, which is expected to significantly limit the negotiators’ room to reach a peace deal. Russia has shown no readiness to retreat from its claims to Ukrainian territory, including areas not under its control.

Although some progress has been made in recent days, negotiators remain far apart on the key issue of territory, where the Russian and Ukrainian stances seem difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile.

In November 2025, the US circulated a 28-point peace draft for the Russia–Ukraine war, proposing Ukraine accept Russian control of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, freeze front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, limit its armed forces, and bar future NATO membership or troop deployments.

In exchange, the plan promises Ukraine “security guarantees,” a non‑aggression pact involving Russia, Ukraine and European parties, and pledges of major reconstruction funding — including the use of frozen Russian assets for rebuilding and economic support.

The proposal sparked immediate pushback: European allies and Ukrainian officials argued it heavily favours Russian demands, undercuts Ukraine’s sovereignty and denies Kyiv the right to choose its alliances.

Amid mounting criticism, Kyiv negotiated revisions — reportedly reducing the plan from 28 to around 19 points, and re‑asserting that any peace must begin from the current frontline rather than formal recognition of Russian control over occupied territories.

By Jeyhun Aghazada