Zelenskyy: Ukraine does not recognise the loss of territories, but is ready for diplomacy if it joins NATO

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine does not recognise the loss of its territories, but is ready for diplomatic solutions to return them if it becomes a NATO member.

He expressed this opinion in an interview with NBC News.

«Legally, we do not recognise our occupied territory as Russian territory. We will never do that. Yes, we have to return them diplomatically. Yes, we can. If we are in NATO, it is clear why diplomatically — it is very clear. The priority is not to lose people», he said.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine's military victory is possible, but it will require significant losses.

«Of course it will. But it is a lot of losses. We understand how big these losses are. I think they are too significant. And I'm not sure that at this rate... If our partners don't help, if they don't support us, it will be difficult. It will take a long time. Longer than it could be», he said.

Peace talks

Earlier, Donald Trump said that the United States was engaged in constructive negotiations on a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In particular, he expressed hope that agreements would be reached as soon as possible.

He also claimed that Washington had already made some progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In addition, Donald Trump indicated that his administration had already held discussions with Moscow, but did not specify who participated in such a dialogue. Also, during his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table in negotiations on Ukraine.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations between the United States and Russia to end the war without Kyiv's participation pose a threat to everyone.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the sake of peace, despite his hostile attitude. He also added that he did not see a ready-made peace plan from Trump, but conveyed his readiness to negotiate.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».