KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed willingness to discuss Russia’s demands for Kyiv to recognize annexed Crimea and the breakaway pro-Moscow territories in an interview with ABC News.
“I think that items regarding temporarily occupied territories and pseudo-republics not recognized by anyone but Russia, we can discuss and find a compromise on how these territories will live on,” Zelenskiy said.
The Kremlin said Monday that it was ready to stop its deadly military campaign “in a moment” if Ukraine met its demands to recognize Crimea as a Russian region and the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent republics.
“What’s important to me is how the people in those territories who want to be part of Ukraine are going to live,” Zelenskiy told ABC News.
But he refused to give in to ultimatums which Russia’s negotiating team has put forward in three rounds of dialogue that have so far failed to achieve a ceasefire.
“The question is more difficult than simply acknowledging them. This is another ultimatum and we’re not prepared for ultimatums,” Zelensky said.
“I’m ready for dialogue, we’re not ready for capitulation.”
