Russia must withdraw its troops to February 2022 lines, says Zelenskyy
www.pravda.com.ua
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory to the positions held before the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.

Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia must withdraw to its pre-invasion positions from February 24, 2022.

In an interview with Newsmax, he hoped that Donald Trump, with European backing, could end the war and influence Putin.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not accept any negotiated settlement that excludes its involvement.

He also suggested that Trump needs a diplomatic success to differentiate his approach from Biden’s. However, there is no indication that Russia is willing to retreat.

  • volodya_ilich@lemm.eeEnglish
    210·
    6 days ago

    Odds are that Putin wants all of Ukraine

    That doesn’t make any sense. Russia knows it can’t control Ukrainian-majority areas in any meaningful way. This war isn’t a war of annexation and expansionism, it’s a proxy war between Russia and the US in which Russia is showing its neighbouring countries that it won’t simply allow its influence sphere to disintegrate.

    • jordanlund@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      4·
      5 days ago

      Not according to Putin, who has stated multiple times that Ukraine isn’t really a country and Russia owns it.

      https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseih/2020/07/01/there-is-no-ukraine-fact-checking-the-kremlins-version-of-ukrainian-history/

      “Ukraine is not even a state! What is Ukraine? A part of its territory is [in] Eastern Europe, but a[nother] part, a considerable one, was a gift from us!” In his March 18, 2014 speech marking the annexation of Crimea, Putin declared that Russians and Ukrainians “are one people. Kiev is the mother of Russian cities. Ancient Rus’ is our common source and we cannot live without each other.” Since then, Putin has repeated similar claims on many occasions. As recently as February 2020, he once again stated in an interview that Ukrainians and Russians “are one and the same people”, and he insinuated that Ukrainian national identity had emerged as a product of foreign interference."