Zelenskyy: Ukraine will never legally recognize the occupied territories as part of Russia

This was stated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting with representatives of the International Media Council in Davos.

"Legally, we will not agree — no matter what anyone wants. Even if all the allies of the world unite — legally, we will not recognize the occupied territories. It is impossible. Until we return there, they will always be occupied by Russia, and it cannot be otherwise," Zelenskyy stated.

At the same time, he confirmed that the priority is to end the active phase of the war, but for this Ukraine needs security guarantees.

In December 2024, Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine will not legally consider the occupied territories as Russian.

As it is known, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin rejects any significant territorial concessions to Ukraine amid talks of future negotiations and insists that Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join NATO.

According to Reuters, Russia may agree to freeze the conflict and withdraw troops from small areas in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions.