Zelenski maintains his position and does not want to cede Donbas to the Russians: “We are not talking about a referendum yet”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that there is currently no discussion of holding a referendum on resolving the territorial issue of Donbass, noting that Ukraine will not under any circumstances recognize the region as belonging to the Russian Federation. The statements were made in response to questions from journalists present in Berlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. PHOTO: AFP

“We are not talking about a referendum yet. Complex documents, complex decisions. We are trying to do everything so that life, which is not easy for Ukrainians because of the war, is not complicated by certain decisions,” Zelensky stated, quoted by Ukrinform.

The Ukrainian president stated that, during the peace negotiations, a compromise on the territorial issue has not been found so far. According to him, Russia's position has remained unchanged.

“You know they want our Donbas. Our position is practical, real, correct, we stand by it. And we don't want to give up our Donbas,” said the Ukrainian president.

Zelenski mentioned that the American side is trying to identify a compromise solution and proposed the idea of ​​one “free economic zones” in Donbass. However, the leader from Kiev stressed that such a status would not mean the Russian Federation's control over the region.

“A 'free economic zone' does not mean that it is under the leadership of the Russian Federation. These are important features of any Donbas format for me. Neither de jure nor de facto we will recognize Donbas as Russian – the part that is temporarily occupied,” Zelenskiy said, adding that talks on the issue would continue, though “there is no consensus yet.”

The statements come in the context of talks held in Berlin by Zelenskiy with an American delegation led by US special representative Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Following the meetings, Zelenski stated that there are differences of position between the parties regarding the territorial issue.