Zelensky comments on Vance’s statement about “haggling over a few square kilometers”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that U.S. Vice President JD Vance is not participating in negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.

The head of state made this remark during a briefing, commenting on Vance’s statement about “haggling over a few square kilometers of territory,” an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The Vice President, with all due respect, is not taking part in the negotiations between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia. And I think that if he were involved, along with other officials participating in these negotiations, they would probably understand more deeply what a ‘patch’ really means, what the territory of Ukraine is, the independent territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

He emphasized that one of Russia’s objectives is territorial occupation, and this goal has always existed in one form or another.

“Occupation of eastern Ukraine is a way to prepare a bridgehead, so to speak, for further offensive actions,” the President explained.

According to Zelensky, before taking any steps, it is necessary to know the details and have concrete security guarantees.

“Right now, we are talking about strong security guarantees, and for the moment we simply don’t have them. Ukraine does not have security guarantees to discuss other steps. And, without a doubt, every square meter of our land is Ukrainian land, and, with all due respect to any of our partners, it certainly is not theirs,” Zelensky said.

Ukrinform previously reported that Vance said the work to end the war will go on, but “Ukraine and Russia need to decide to move, too”.

According to Vance, “we're talking about haggling at this point over a few square kilometers of territory in one direction or another.”

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine