Zelenskyy: A referendum on peace in exchange for territory is not the best option

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, does not consider the best option for holding a referendum, where Ukrainians could choose peace in exchange for territory.

He said this in an interview with representatives of the French mass media.

The journalist asked whether the Ukrainian authorities were considering the possibility of holding a referendum where citizens could vote for peace in exchange for territory. The head of state called this option «not the best».

«It is necessary that the Ukrainian people want this. I will tell you honestly, this is not the best option, because we are dealing with Putin and it will be a victory for him: to take part of our territories,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, he added that in this case the conflict will be frozen and later the Russian army can come to Ukraine again with war.

«Therefore, this is a very, very difficult question. I believe that not all territories should be conquered with hands and weapons, it can take a lot of time and people. This is not very good, and that is why I think it is possible to diplomatically win back our territories,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

It will be recalled that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the G7 summit in Italy, called the Russian leader's demands for the cessation of hostilities «ultimate messages that do not differ from the past demands» of the Russian Federation.

As you know, on June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine should declare its refusal to join NATO and withdraw troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

Prior to that, in May 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again spoke about negotiations with Ukraine and said that they had never given up on them. He stated that Russia is ready to negotiate on the basis of the «Istanbul agreements».

Later, the head of state said that he sees only one model of negotiations by Vladimir Putin — that it be a tripartite agreement with mediators, which was used regarding the grain corridor.