Zelensky rules out any peace plan making war in Ukraine a frozen conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine won't accept any peace place that enables Russia to hold onto any Ukrainian territory.

 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, May 14, 2023 (photo credit: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, May 14, 2023
(photo credit: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday he would not accept any peace proposal that turns Russia's war on his country into a frozen conflict.

Zelenskiy's remarks, in a speech to parliament on Ukraine's Constitution Day, signaled that he remains opposed to any peace plan that freezes territorial gains made by Russia since it began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"Ukraine will not agree to any of the variants for a frozen conflict," he said.

Ukraine's peace plan

Zelenskiy has drawn up a 10-point peace "formula" that includes restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine's state borders.

 UKRAINIAN TROOPS fire on Russian forces, near a front line in Donetsk region, this week. The economy is receding globally due to the impact of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war. (credit: Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters)
UKRAINIAN TROOPS fire on Russian forces, near a front line in Donetsk region, this week. The economy is receding globally due to the impact of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war. (credit: Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters)

Kyiv has launched a counteroffensive to try to retake occupied territory, but Russian forces still hold swathes of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.