Zelenskyy avers Ukraine won’t cede territory to Russia as part of negotiations

On the 134th day of the all-out war on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clearly stated that he and his administration will not be a part of negotiations where Ukraine has to "give away its land." Speaking to CNN, the embattled President reaffirmed his ground saying that concession of Ukrainian territory will not be part of talks aimed to end the war. "We always talk about that, and we are intending to prove it," he said.

"Ukrainians are not ready to give away their land, to accept that these territories belong to Russia. This is our land," Zelenskyy told CNN on Thursday.

The brutal invasion of Ukraine now has lasted for over four months with Russian forces making small but pivotal gains in the eastern part of the war-torn country. In the past week and earlier this week, the invaders seized two key cities in the industrial hub of Donbass region- Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Meanwhile, the Russian troops, which foreign observers say have restored "some motivation" have continued to shell port cities in the southern part. Noting the renewed series of attacks, White House officials are now at a loss of confidence that Ukraine could reclaim all of its lost lands, CNN reported.

However, Zelenskyy is far from surrendering before the "aggressor." On July 5, following the capture of the eastern city of Lysychansk, Zelenskyy promised that the Ukrainian defence forces would return to "win back land" in the days to come. Although the defence forces retreated after being outnumbered and outgunned by Russian troops, Zelenskyy vowed that "We will return, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons." However, he admitted that Russia in fact was well-equipped in the region, forcing Ukraine to withdraw troops to save their lives. Nevertheless, he questioned, "I don't even understand what exactly they are controlling there. They ruined towns and schools. They are the occupiers of the rubble?" CNN quoted him as saying.

Zelenskyy hails US' military support throughout the war

Speaking on CNN's 'Situation Room', Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the United States for the military support and aid supplies to Ukraine in the wake of the war. He highlighted that Washington's relentless backing has handed Kyiv greater capability to tackle the invaders as the war dragged on. "The US is helping Ukraine, helping a lot," he said, further reiterating that as the Russian attack doubled up the military supply is "not enough in order to win." He added, "I hope my trust will speed up this help to Ukraine."

Zelenskyy went on to clarify that he wanted an "increment of the help" and not foreign volunteers to fight the war for Ukraine. "We don't want people from a different country to fight for our territory. We will fight for our own land...the US is a world economy, thus, can help us with both arms and finances." He further urged Washington to "use its influence" over European countries in order to bring in more support for Ukraine. "I have to be honest, some countries in Europe want a balance between Russia and Ukraine. But owing to the US help they started supporting us. So, when I talk about the volume and speed of the arms support, I'm not appealing only (to) the United States, I appeal to all the world leaders and say that the faster help, the increment of help, will save the lives of Ukrainians and help us to regain territories occupied by Russia," Zelenskyy explained, as reported by CNN.

(Image: AP)