Ukraine Recap: Top Aide Rejects ‘Territorial Realities’ Demand

A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the idea that Kyiv must recognize “new territorial realities” as a pathway to potential peace with Russia. Andriy Yermak was responding to comments by Mikhail Galuzin, Russian deputy foreign minister, who also told Tass that Ukraine should give up its hopes of joining NATO and the European Union, recognize Russian as a state language, and stop taking weapons donations from the West. Ukraine’s foreign minister said “no frozen conflict” and not making territorial concessions is a key principle of continued dialogue with China.

With attention focused on Ukraine’s potential counteroffensive, army commander in chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi posted a video on social media proclaiming that “the time has come to reclaim what is ours.” The bid to retake occupied territory is “ready to begin” and could start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week,” said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, told the BBC. “We must get to the day when we can say that we are ending this war with our victory,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram.