Zelensky Rejects Territorial Concessions as Ukraine Unveils New Peace Strategy

Tue Dec 09 2025 13:18:57 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly opposes territorial concessions in the ongoing peace negotiations with Russia, as his government prepares to present a revised peace plan aimed at maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty.

In the wake of recent diplomatic efforts, Ukraine plans to submit an updated peace proposal to the United States, reaffirming its stance against surrendering any land to Russia. President Zelensky emphasizes that Ukraine has no legal or moral right to cede territory. This development follows a series of discussions between US and Ukrainian negotiators that failed to yield a mutually acceptable agreement. Meanwhile, the fighting continues along the front lines, with recent drone attacks causing power outages in Sumy.

Ukraine is preparing to present a revised peace plan to the White House, as it seeks to avoid making territorial concessions to Russia.

Kyiv is set to propose alternatives to the US after President Volodymyr Zelensky again ruled out surrendering land, saying he had 'no right' to do so under Ukrainian or international law.

He made the comments as he met European and NATO leaders on Monday, part of a collective push to deter the US from backing a peace deal that includes major concessions for Ukraine, which allies fear would leave it vulnerable to a future invasion.

Meanwhile, the city of Sumy in north-western Ukraine was left without power overnight after a Russian drone attack.

The region's governor stated that more than a dozen drones targeted power infrastructure, marking the latest in Russia's ongoing nightly assaults. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

Zelensky's diplomatic tour in Europe comes after intensive talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators over the weekend, which failed to produce an agreeable deal for Kyiv.

On the subject of surrendering land, Zelensky stated: 'Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don't want to cede anything.'

Continuing, he asserted: 'We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution, and international law. And we don't have any moral right either.'

Zelensky has long maintained that any changes to Ukraine's borders would need to be sanctioned through a public referendum.

Additionally, he relayed that the initial 28-point peace plan proposed by the US, initially rejected by Kyiv and European leaders for being too favorable to Russia, had been condensed to 20 points. However, no pro-Ukrainian points had been eliminated from the draft, and there was no compromise on territorial issues.

Zelensky highlighted that control over the eastern Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are among the most sensitive matters concerning these negotiations.

Post-summit, as Zelensky flew to Brussels to meet with NATO chief Mark Rutte and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, Moscow asserted that its talks with the White House had been constructive.

Trump's recent remarks indicate he views Zelensky as the main obstacle to securing a peace deal, a goal he claims to be able to achieve swiftly in the 2024 presidential race.