Zelenskyy: Ukraine is ready for compromises, but not at the cost of independence and sovereignty

Ukraine is ready for real compromises, but not at the expense of its independence and sovereignty, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in an interview with Kyodo.

"We are ready to talk about compromises with the United States. But we are not ready to receive ultimatums from the Russians again and again. They are the aggressors. Everyone has recognized this. This has not changed," he stresses.

"That is why our compromise is that we are talking to the aggressor about compromises. 'We stand where we stand' is a big compromise. They have seized almost 20% of our territory. And we are ready to talk about peace now on the basis of the principle of 'we stand where we stand'. This is a big compromise," Zelenskyy says.

At the same time, he stresses that Russia's proposal is not a compromise, but terrorism and an ultimatum.

"What is Russia offering us as a compromise? What are they ready for? They said, 'We are ready not to occupy your other regions.' But this is terrorism. Even these words themselves are terrorism. 'I am ready not to kill you — give us everything.' What does this mean? This is not a compromise. It's an ultimatum․ That is why I said: "We are ready for compromises that respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, our army, our people, and our children. But we are not ready for ultimatums," the President emphasizes․