The constitutional grounds for the so-called “territory exchange” between Ukraine and Russia, as previously stated by US President Donald Trump, are impossible to establish. This was emphasized by Member of Parliament, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, Fedir Venislavsky.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Position of Ukrainian Legislation
According to Venislavsky, the Ukrainian Constitution clearly defines the territorial integrity of the state. He noted that Articles One and Three of the Basic Law guarantee the inviolability of the territory, and the law on the all-Ukrainian referendum explicitly prohibits questions related to the reduction of the country’s territory. Thus, any proposals for territory exchange, even if they come from international partners, contradict the fundamental principles of Ukrainian legislation.
“There can be no constitutional approval a priori, because, on the one hand, we have Articles One and Three of the Constitution of Ukraine, which state that the territory of Ukraine is integral and inviolable. And even when we adopted the law on the all-Ukrainian referendum, we determined that questions regarding changes to the territory in the direction of its reduction cannot be a priori, because this contradicts the fundamental basic ideas of the Constitution of Ukraine. Therefore, regarding the statement of the US president – a constitutional field cannot be created a priori under any circumstances,” said the MP during the Freedom LIVE broadcast.
International Law and Ukraine’s Position
Venislavsky emphasized that for Ukraine, territory exchange is unacceptable, even if it concerns temporarily occupied areas that are planned to be returned through diplomatic or military means. Furthermore, he pointed out that forcing Ukraine to cede territory contradicts not only national legislation but also international norms. From the perspective of international law, legitimate mechanisms for such concessions in favor of the aggressor country are absent, and any attempt at such a “exchange” would violate international standards.
The summit of US and Russian leaders is scheduled for August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska. This will be the first meeting of the Russian leader with the current US president since 2021.
On August 11, Donald Trump suggested the possibility of “some territory exchange” between Ukraine and Russia, as well as expressed dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian side’s demands for constitutional approval of such decisions.
At the same time, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin informed Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff of his agreement to a complete ceasefire on the condition that Ukraine withdraws its troops from the entire Donetsk region. However, as clarified by The Washington Post, sources confirmed that Putin is not ready to abandon claims to the occupied territories in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will not agree to cede any part of its territory to Russia. He, like representatives of European countries, was not invited to the summit in the US, but the Trump administration continues to maintain contact with Ukrainian and European leaders.
Donald Trump also stated that after negotiations with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, he plans to organize another meeting involving Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, and himself, if the parties agree to it. The specific date for a possible second meeting has not yet been determined.