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# Zelenskyy pushes back on ceding Ukrainian land

By Illia Novikov and Aamer Madhani  
April 22nd, 2025 09:53 AM

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday pushed back at the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia as part of any potential peace agreement, a day before American, European and Ukrainian officials are set for high-level talks in London.

During similar talks last week in Paris, U.S. officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the issue is expected to be on the agenda for discussion again this week as all parties focus on finding consensus on a credible approach for ending the war that the United States can convey to the Russians.

But amid media reports about the U.S. proposal, Zelenskyy said the idea of ceding territory — including Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, seized by Russia more than a decade ago — is a nonstarter.

"There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people," Zelenskyy said.

## Weighing the U.S. proposal

Some European allies are at least somewhat wary of the American proposal. But there's also acknowledgment by some allies that Russia is firmly entrenched wholly or partially in five regions of Ukraine — Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

If the goal is to obtain a ceasefire immediately, "it should be based on the line of contact as it is," said a senior French official. The official was not authorized to be publicly named and spoke on the condition of anonymity according to French presidential policy.

Still, Ukraine's territorial integrity and aspirations to strengthen ties with the rest of the continent are a top priority for the Europeans, the European official said.

It remains to be seen whether the latest diplomatic efforts can lead to an endgame after more than three years of war since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

The fighting continued Tuesday as Russian drones battered the port city of Odesa and glide bombs hit Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said, as the Kremlin again warned that negotiators are unlikely to obtain a swift breakthrough in peace talks.

## Rubio won't be attending this week's talks

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will represent Washington in the discussions in London, the U.S. State Department said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio won't attend because of a scheduling issue, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were part of the U.S. delegation in Paris last week.

"They want diplomacy to work," Bruce said of Trump and Rubio.

Trump said last week that negotiations were "coming to a head" and insisted that neither side is "playing" him in his push to end the war. That came after Rubio suggested that the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations if they don't progress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that "the settlement issue is so complex that it would be wrong to put some tight limits to it and try to set some short time frame for a settlement, a viable settlement — it would be a thankless task."

## Zelenskyy lays out mandate of Ukrainian delegation

Zelenskyy said Ukraine's delegation heading to the U.K. has a mandate to discuss only an unconditional or partial ceasefire with Russia.

"We are also ready to commit that after a ceasefire, we're prepared to sit down for talks in any format," he told reporters.

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would only believe Russia is serious about peace once it shows results.

## Witkoff expected to visit Russia again

Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Witkoff was expected to visit Moscow again this week. Ushakov provided no further details.

Western analysts say Moscow is in no rush to conclude peace talks, because it has battlefield momentum and wants to capture more Ukrainian land.

Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions.

## Latest attacks

Odesa came under a "massive attack" by Russian drones overnight, wounding at least three people, the head of the regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page.

A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said.

Later Tuesday, Russia hit the southern city of Zaporizhzhia with two aerial glide bombs — a retrofitted Soviet weapon that for months has been used to lay waste to eastern Ukraine.

The attack killed a 69-year-old woman and wounded 24 people, including four children, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov.

## Ukraine ceasefire offer still stands

Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that his earlier offer of a ceasefire covering civilian sites still stands.

"Russia needs to be seriously prepared to talk about this," Zelenskyy said. "There are no obstacles on the Ukrainian side, and there will be none."

Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said there are no plans for talks on the proposal. He said Moscow is prepared to consider such a step, but noted that reaching an agreement could take time.

"While talking about civilian infrastructure, it's necessary to clearly define when such facilities can be a military target and when they can't," he said. "If a military meeting is held there, is it a civilian facility? It is. But is it a military target? Yes, it is. There are some nuances here that need to be discussed."

## Russia launches dozens of attack drones

The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror.

Russia has stepped up its use of Shahed drones, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recent analysis.

After Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks continued. Zelenskyy asserted that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.

The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire was in place along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the spring-summer military campaign, Ukrainian and Western officials say.

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Madhani reported from Washington. AP writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine