President Zelenskyy does not consider exchanging Donbas for the border territories of Sumy and Kharkiv regions. He noted that it is difficult for the enemy to hold border territories, and Donbas is a strategic target for the Russian Federation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he does not consider the option of exchanging territories of Donbas not captured by Russia for temporarily occupied areas in Sumy and Kharkiv regions, as these are incomparable things. He said this in response to journalists' questions during a press conference on March 2, as reported by UNN.
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Zelenskyy emphasized that it is extremely difficult for the enemy to hold border territories, and Russia understands this.
"When we talk about border territories, any of them, it is very difficult for the enemy to hold them. Russia clearly understands that they will not be able to hold them. The time will come and we will push them out of these territories," the president noted.
He stressed that this is not a "gift" for Ukraine, but rather different directions in terms of strategic value and the goals of Russian aggression.
"Donbas, the east of our state, they understand what for. For them, this is a goal," Zelenskyy added.
The head of state also noted that Russia's strategic intentions have not changed in general, although the aggressor's appetite may have decreased somewhat, but only temporarily.
"Their goals, in principle, have not changed. One can say that their appetite has decreased a little, but that is for now," he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine is not talking about exchanging small territories on the border for a significant part of Donbas or Donetsk region, which it currently controls.
"Therefore, we are not talking about exchanging small territories on the border for a large territory of Donbas or Donetsk region, which we control today," the head of state summarized.
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