Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested in a speech to parliament on Tuesday that temporary Russian control over Ukrainian territory may be inevitable as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in power.
“Maybe Ukraine needs to outlive someone in Moscow to achieve its goals and restore the entire national territory,” the Ukrainian president said.
There has been speculation in the international media for some time that the war in Ukraine could be frozen along the front lines without Kiev legally ceding territory to Russia.
In his speech to parliament, Zelensky categorically ruled out the possibility of Ukraine formally ceding territory: “We are not renouncing Ukraine’s rights to its territory,” he stressed.
Zelensky also presented a plan to parliament to increase Ukraine’s resilience against Russian pressure, focusing on military, economic and social efforts within Ukraine. Details will follow in December.
He said that Ukrainian weapons are one of the most important guarantees of Ukrainian independence, citing huge investments in armaments.
“Even without nuclear weapons, we can find conventional containment tools,” Zelensky said.
To that end, the president said 30,000 long-range combat drones and 3,000 cruise missiles will be produced next year. Domestic ammunition production must also be expanded.
Zelensky’s plan for Ukraine comes shortly after he presented a “victory plan” to international partners in October, which included a request for an invitation to join the NATO military alliance.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion for a thousand days, with the support of its Western allies.
