Zelenskyy rejects Russia’s "concessions" on territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected claims that Moscow’s offers to halt further occupation of Ukraine in exchange for Donetsk and Luhansk are concessions.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with German Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Zelenskyy told reporters that Russia’s promises “do not amount to concessions,” Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

He added that proposals requiring Ukraine to withdraw from areas not under Russian control fall outside international law.

“Regarding concessions to Russia, I am not aware of any. I do not consider the things expressed by Russia—claiming they are ‘ready’ not to capture more of Ukraine—as concessions,” Zelenskyy said.

The president also emphasised that high-level talks now depend not only on Moscow but also on Washington, recalling that the United States had proposed a ceasefire on March 7, which Ukraine supported.

On August 24, Vice President JD Vance said he remains optimistic that the U.S. can help broker an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, despite fresh challenges following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

“We believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press.

His remarks came after a Russian missile strike on an electronics factory in western Ukraine owned by a U.S.-based company. Vance condemned the violence but used the moment to criticise former President Joe Biden. “So you asked me what I’m enraged by? What I’m enraged by is the continuation of the war,” he said.

Vance stressed that Trump’s approach has applied “aggressive economic leverage” on Russia and ruled out U.S. troop deployments, saying, “The president has been very clear. There are not going to be boots on the ground in Ukraine.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev