President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News that Ukraine is ready for real compromises, but not at the cost of its independence and sovereignty.
“We are ready for real compromises. But not for compromises at the price of our independence and sovereignty. We are ready to talk about compromises with the United States. But not to receive ultimatums from the Russians again and again,” the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia is the aggressor, and this is recognized by many countries, including those that have sought to mediate since the beginning of the war, particularly in the Middle East and Asia.
He noted that Ukraine’s willingness to speak with the aggressor about peace is already a significant compromise. “Standing where we stand is a big compromise. They have occupied nearly 20% of our territory. And we are ready to talk about peace now based on the principle of ‘standing where we stand.’ This is a big compromise,” he said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia’s proposals cannot be considered compromises. “They said: ‘We are ready not to occupy your other regions.’ But that is terrorism. Even those words themselves are terrorism. ‘I am ready not to kill you — give us everything.’ What does that mean? That is not a compromise. It is an ultimatum,” he said.
The president concluded that Ukraine is ready for compromises that respect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, armed forces and citizens, but it is not ready to accept ultimatums.