Zelenskyy: Ukraine currently does not have the strength to return Crimea and Donbas by military means

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine currently has no capacity to militarily return Crimea and Donbas. Photo: Nastassia Kantorowicz Torres/Le Parisien

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Le Parisien that the country does not have sufficient forces and resources to recapture the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas.

At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine does not give up its regions and relies on diplomatic efforts.

«We cannot give up our territories. The Constitution of Ukraine forbids us from doing so. De facto, these territories are now controlled by the Russians. We do not have the strength to return them. We can only count on diplomatic pressure from the international community to force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table», the president said.

According to him, Ukraine's current position on the international stage is weakened due to uncertainty regarding its membership in the EU and NATO.

«Sitting at the table with Putin under these conditions means giving him the right to decide for us», the head of state is confident.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in order to end the war, Ukraine needs to receive an invitation to join NATO.