Selenskyj names prerequisite for cession of territory to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to agree to territorial cessions in the course of a possible peace solution with Russia without the people’s consent. “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 Ukrainian people,” Zelensky told the newspaper “Le Monde” and other French media in an interview.

Nobody has officially offered Ukraine anything so far. “And Ukraine will never give up its territories. Officially, those in power do not have the right to give up their territories. The Ukrainian people must want this,” said Zelensky. It should also be remembered that Russian President Vladimir Putin would see such a step as a victory. “That is why this issue is very, very, very difficult.”

Article 73 of the Constitution of Ukraine only allows territorial changes after a nationwide referendum. Article 133 of the Constitution also lists all territories, including the Crimean peninsula claimed by Russia, with the city of Sevastopol and the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. A two-thirds majority in parliament is also required for constitutional changes.

Selenskyj wants Russia at the negotiating table

The Ukrainian president also commented on the next peace summit. “I believe – like most countries – that representatives of Russia should be present at the second peace summit in November, otherwise we will not achieve any viable results,” said the Ukrainian president. “They should not block us from developing a joint plan.” If everyone wants to see Russia at the negotiating table, then Ukraine cannot be against it.

In order to better defend against the war of aggression against Ukraine that Russia began two and a half years ago, Volodymyr Selenskyj hopes to be allowed to attack military targets in Russia with American and European long-range missiles. “Unfortunately, our partners are still afraid of this at the moment.”

Zelenskyj also wants support from China. “I wish it would put pressure on Russia to end this war. Just like the USA is putting pressure on it. Just like the European Union is putting pressure on it.”

Praise for Ukrainian air defense

Zelenskyj paid high praise to his country’s air defense. “Last night alone they shot down almost 90 ‘Shaheds’ (kamikaze drones), which is a remarkable result,” he said in his evening video address. Nevertheless, the air defense must be expanded. “And if we can now achieve such a significant result in defense against the ‘Shaheds’, then that is clear proof that we can be stronger in defense against missiles and in defense against Russian military aircraft.”

This, in turn, depends on the weapons available. “We need reliable air defense systems, we need sufficient range for our weapons,” said Zelensky. He called for both more air defense systems and permission from Western partners to use the heavy weapons they supply, such as rockets and cruise missiles, against targets such as military airports on Russian territory. “Russian terror must be stopped every time the occupier tries to destroy life in Ukraine.”

Russian troops put pressure on eastern Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are increasing the pressure on the defenders. As the General Staff in Kiev announced in its daily situation report, the Ukrainian positions at Toretsk and Pokrovsk were repeatedly shelled while enemy soldiers attempted to break through but were successfully repelled. The Russian military has been focusing on this section of the front in Donbass for some time now in order to break through the Ukrainian lines and capture the important supply lines behind them.

The Russian army has been waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine for almost two and a half years. The previously occupied areas have already been unilaterally integrated into Russian territory, but Moscow does not control all parts of the annexed regions.

Speculation about arrival of F-16 in Ukraine

According to media reports, there is speculation in Ukraine that the first American F-16 fighter jets may have already arrived there. However, there has been no official confirmation from Kiev so far. The defense ministries in the Netherlands and Denmark, whose governments had agreed to make the jets available to Ukraine, also did not want to comment officially for the time being. Ukrainian pilots had been trained on the aircraft in both countries in recent months.

In addition to Denmark and the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway have also promised the Ukrainian military F-16 fighter jets. In total, Kiev is to receive almost 60 aircraft.