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LAST UPDATE | 8 Dec 2025
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv had no legal or moral right to give up land to Russia in any deal aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly four-year invasion.
“Do we envision ceding territories? We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either,” Zelenskyy said in an online press conference.
Zelenskyy said that the US was trying to find a compromise on the issue.
“Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything. We are fighting for that, as you well know.”
“There are difficult problems concerning the territories and so far there has been no compromise.”
Earlier, a senior official close to the talks told AFP that the question of Ukrainian territory was the “most problematic” in the negotiations.
The issue of security guarantees for Kyiv have also been among the main sticking points of the talks.
“The key is to know what our partners will be ready to do in the event of new aggression by Russia. At the moment, we have not received any answer to this question,” Zelenskyy said.
Following his London meetings, Zelenskyy travelled to Brussels to hold talks with heads of NATO and the European Commission.
“Then, during the night, around 1:00 am or midnight I will go to Italy,” he said in his press conference.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian and European officials “are going to work on these 20 points” received from the US side and that counter-proposals could be ready by Tuesday evening to be sent to Washington.
Earlier, Zelenskyy was in London to hold talks on the future of Ukraine behind the black door of No 10 Downing Street, after he arrived in London to meet European allies.
Zelenskyy said ahead of the meeting that his country “can’t manage” without European and American support.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting Zelenskyy along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for private talks as efforts continue to find a way to end the war with Russia.
The discussions come as US President Donald Trump accused Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan, saying he was “a little disappointed” in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia’s Vladimir Putin was “fine with it”.
Speaking as European leaders gathered at Downing Street, President Zelensky said: “I think that now it’s very important to organise sessions to meet and discuss very sensitive issues regarding these talks (we had) in the United States.
“A lot of what we have to discuss… are things that are very important for unity between Europe and Ukraine, and also unity between Europe and Ukraine and the United States.
“We can’t manage without Americans, we can’t manage without Europe and that is why we need to make some important decisions.”
Macron meanwhile insisted Ukraine’s allies have “a lot of cards”.
He pointed to the funding of equipment and arms for Ukraine, the Ukrainian resistance and the economic impact of sanctions imposed by the US and Europe on Russia as positive signs.
President Macron said: “Now I think the main issue is the convergence between our common positions – Europeans and Ukrainians and the US – to finalise these peace negotiations and re-engage in a new phase that means the best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security.”
Starmer meanwhile insisted any ceasefire in Ukraine must be “just” and “lasting”, telling the other leaders: “We are at a critical stage in the push for peace.
“The principles remain the same: we stand with Ukraine, and if there is to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire.”
Starmer and Macron have been leading efforts with the “coalition of the willing” countries prepared to support Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, with the UK ready to commit troops to the effort.
Speaking ahead of the talks, Starmer had told the Press Association there had to be “hard-edged security guarantees” behind any ceasefire.
Despite Trump’s White House criticising European leaders for having “unrealistic expectations” about the war, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the US president.
“You can never get from conflict to peace by an easy, straight route,” he said.
“It’s always a complicated business, but I do think that we’re making progress, and I think what President Trump has been able to achieve in the last few weeks, getting it this far, has been the furthest we’ve got in the four years.
“And I therefore pay tribute to him for that, and hopefully we can make some further progress this afternoon.”
Zelenskyy’s visit to London comes after his officials concluded three days of talks with their US counterparts on those proposals as the White House presses Kyiv to accept a deal.
Over the weekend, Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.
But the negotiators also acknowledged that any “real progress” will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace”.
Ukraine and its European allies are likely to insist that any ceasefire comes with security guarantees from both the US and the coalition of the willing convened by the UK and France, while also resisting the transfer of territory to Russia.
Starmer has repeatedly said that Ukraine must be allowed to determine its own future, while one of his senior ministers said on Sunday that the country must not be left “toothless” in the face of Russian aggression.
But Russia has repeatedly rejected the prospect of allied troops being stationed in Ukraine and continues to demand large swathes of Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace.
And Russian forces have continued their assault on Ukraine over the weekend.
At least four people were killed in drone and missile strikes on Sunday, while Moscow continues to target Ukrainian infrastructure in a bid to “weaponise” the cold by denying civilians access to heat and power.
During the meeting at No 10, Zelenskyy is expected to hear updates on a host of support European allies are providing to Ukraine, including on how immobilised Russian assets could be utilised.
British officials suggested they were hopeful of movement on using these assets in the coming days.
The meeting also comes in the wake of the publication of a new US national security strategy that made improving relations with Moscow one of Washington’s top priorities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the document, saying it was broadly in line with Moscow’s own vision.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy has yet to read the US-authored peace proposal.
“Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn’t read it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is in Washington for talks with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.
She is expected to focus on efforts to secure an end to the war in Ukraine, as well as UK-US co-operation on global security and the ceasefire in Gaza.
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