President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will not change its position on Crimea and will not legally recognize the occupation. Any proposals to recognize the peninsula as Russian territory will be rejected.
The head of state announced this at a briefing before the upcoming meeting in London on April 23, which will discuss a peaceful settlement.
"There is nothing to talk about - this is outside our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," he said.
In his opinion, the issue of Crimea and other territories occupied by Russia threatens to prolong the war.
"As soon as we start talking about Crimea, about our sovereign territories, we enter the format of prolonging the war - this is exactly what Russia wants. We have been at war for the 12th year. This is the answer to the question of whether it is possible to reach an agreement with Russia on territories," Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, The Washington Post reported, citing sources, that during an upcoming meeting in London, White House representatives will allegedly propose to the Ukrainian side to recognize Crimea as Russian and freeze the conflict on the current front line.
As "Apostrophe" wrote, negotiations will be held in London on April 23 with the participation of representatives of the authorities of the United States, France, Germany, Britain, and Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that after the meeting in London , Witkoff was planning to go to Moscow again.