Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized in a video address that Ukraine has no intention of making any concessions to Russia and will not forget the crimes it has committed. The leader of the country highlighted the importance of further increasing pressure on the Russian Federation from Ukraine and its allies to achieve a just peace.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Ukraine and Europe: a united stance on pressure against Russia
According to Zelensky, effective resistance to aggression requires not only long-term cooperation but also concrete results from European partners in both the short and long term. The president noted that communication with European leaders occurs almost daily to ensure a unified position on applying pressure on Russia.
“And almost every day now – in communication with leaders to ensure our common position – all of Europe – regarding pressure on Russia, the right kind of pressure. We will not grant anything to the aggressor, and we will not forget anything. We clearly see that this Russia is a long-term threat,” – said the President of Ukraine.
Russia’s demands and diplomatic negotiations
Media reports indicate that Russian President Putin, during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on October 16, made a demand for Ukraine to completely abandon the Donetsk region as a condition for halting hostilities. At the same time, he allegedly agreed to concede part of the occupied territories in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. According to the Washington Post, this demand appeared less extensive than those previously voiced, and some White House representatives viewed it as a certain progress in negotiations.
At the same time, military expert Yan Matveyev noted that American media once again distorted Putin’s words. According to him, the Russian leader continues to insist on the complete occupation of Donbas in exchange for abandoning claims to other territories that Russia currently does not control.
After a two-hour phone call, Trump announced a personal meeting with Putin in Budapest. The next day, on October 17, Trump met with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, where the key topic of discussion was the issue of supplying weapons to Ukraine, particularly the possibility of selling Tomahawk cruise missiles.
According to Axios, Trump refused to supply Ukraine with Tomahawks, emphasizing the priority of diplomatic solutions to the conflict. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky clarified that Trump did not give a definitive answer on this issue: “Trump did not say ‘no,’ but he also did not say ‘yes.’