Ukraine Rejects Territorial Concessions as Peace Talks Face Setback

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia in order to accelerate peace negotiations, casting fresh doubt over the prospects for a near-term settlement.

Speaking to reporters after a more than two-hour meeting in London with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv will not trade land for peace. The leaders met at 10 Downing Street in a small four-way format, after which Starmer and Zelenskyy continued discussions one-on-one.

Zelenskyy revealed that an initial U.S.-proposed peace framework had been significantly revised at Ukraine’s insistence. Provisions deemed contrary to Kyiv’s interests were removed, shrinking the document from 28 to 20 points. However, he acknowledged that no agreement has been reached on territorial questions.

“There are positions from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, and we do not yet have a common view on Donbas,” he said. He explicitly rejected any swap involving the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in exchange for Ukrainian-held areas of Donetsk region.

European leaders struck a cautiously optimistic tone on other fronts. They highlighted progress toward using frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction. Prime Minister Starmer described the talks as marking “a critical stage on the path to peace” and reiterated that any decision belongs to Ukraine alone. President Macron stressed the importance of aligning European and Ukrainian positions with Washington, while Chancellor Merz voiced reservations about parts of the American plan, warning that “the coming days may prove decisive for Europe.”