Zelensky will not cede Ukrainian territories without the consent of the country's citizens

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the issue of territorial changes, if it arises during a peaceful settlement of the war, should be decided by the people of Ukraine.

The head of state said this in interview Le Monde newspaper, July 31:

“You must understand that any issue concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be resolved by one president, one person or all the presidents of the world without the participation of the Ukrainian people.”

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian authorities “officially have no right to give up their territories”“The Ukrainian people must want this,” he noted. In his opinion, it should also be taken into account that Russian President Vladimir Putin would perceive such a step as a victory, and therefore “this issue is very, very, very difficult.”

The President of Ukraine also noted that wants to see Russia at the negotiating table:

“Like most countries, I believe that Russian representatives must be present at the second peace summit in November, otherwise we will not achieve any lasting results. They should not prevent us from developing a joint plan.”

The dpa news agency notes that Article 73 of the Constitution of Ukraine allows territorial changes only after a national referendum. Article 133 of the constitution also lists all territories, including the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula with the city of Sevastopol and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. In addition, Amending the constitution requires a two-thirds majority in the Verkhovna Rada.

The share of Ukrainians willing to give up territory to end hostilities has tripled over the past year, data published on July 23 show survey of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

As sociologists note, in the period from May 2022 to May 2023, the situation was relatively stable: about 8-10% of respondents were ready for territorial concessions to the Russian Federation, and the absolute majority – 82-87% – consistently opposed any concessions.

However, between May and October 2023, when Ukraine launched an unsuccessful counteroffensive, the mood of some of the population began to change. Sociologists note:

“By the end of 2023, the willingness to make concessions increased to 19%, in February 2024 – to 26%, in May 2024 – to 32%.”

At the same time, the number of those who oppose territorial concessions for the sake of ending the war has decreased by 29% in a year – from 84% to 55%. This dynamic is observed in almost all regions of the country, but is most noticeable in the south of Ukraine.

In an interview with Le Monde, the Ukrainian president noted that he still hopes for obtaining permission from Western partners to attack military installations deep within Russian territory with American and European missilesand raised the issue of Beijing’s pressure on Moscow:

“Unfortunately, our partners are still afraid of this (attacks on Russian territories, ed.). I would like China to put pressure on Russia to stop this war. Just like the US is putting pressure. Just like the European Union is putting pressure.”

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on July 31 that The first batch of American F-16 fighters arrived in Ukraine. According to the agency's sources, this is only about a small number of aircraftwhich were due to be delivered in late July. It remains unclear whether Ukrainian pilots, who have been training to fly and maintain F-16s in recent months, will be able to use the aircraft on the battlefield immediately, or whether it will take longer, the sources said.

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