Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected any possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia as a means of ending the ongoing war, directly responding to recent comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that peace negotiations could involve a “swapping of territories.”

Speaking in his evening address on Aug. 9, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty are protected by its Constitution and are non-negotiable.

“The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in Ukraine's Constitution. No one will deviate from this — and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelensky declared.

The Ukrainian leader stressed that while the country seeks peace, it must be “dignified,” and urged international partners to respect this principle.

“This war must be brought to an end – and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, ignoring all deadlines, and that is the problem, not something else,” he said.

Trump’s remarks, made a day earlier, suggested that any peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv would likely involve territorial exchanges. His comments come as preparations are underway for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska, where the war in Ukraine is expected to be a primary topic.

Putin has previously set preconditions for peace, including Ukraine abandoning its NATO membership bid and withdrawing its forces from four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Meeting these demands would require Ukraine to relinquish control of several major cities still under its administration.

In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, and in 2022 it declared the annexation of the four aforementioned regions following internationally condemned referenda, despite only partial military control over them. (ILKHA)