DISINFO: Ukraine may recognise its territories as Russian
SUMMARY
Ukraine is ready to recognise its territories as Russian. Ukraine admits the possibility of freezing the conflict with Russia along the current line of combat contact and is ready to recognise a number of territories as lost. This was reported by the Adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak.
RESPONSE
The claim is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign concerning Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The manipulative news is based on an interview with the Adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, published in the Italian La Repubblica on 21 August, 2025. Answering a journalist's question about whether Ukraine would agree to any territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire, Podolyak emphasised that the state does not trade its territories. Podolyak emphasised that it is not only about the norms of the Constitution of Ukraine, but also about international law.
“I do not quite understand how concessions to the aggressor can end the war. Thus, the aggressor does not pay for aggression, but vice versa. So why should he stop if we encourage him in this way? Moreover, President Zelenskyy made it clear that the transfer of territories to Russia is prohibited. This is not just a constitutional issue. This is a violation of an international ban. You cannot unilaterally cede territory to an aggressor,” Podolyak said.
At the same time, Ukraine understands that one of the scenarios for ending the war with Russia could be the option of freezing the line of combat contact, in which parts of Ukrainian territory would temporarily remain under Russian occupation. Podolyak emphasised that in this case, Ukraine also does not intend to legally recognise the captured territories as “Russian.”
“Ukraine’s preliminary position is this: we understand that one of the options for exiting this war is to freeze the conflict along the front line. These are territories that are currently de facto occupied by Russia. They will remain so. Significant efforts will be made, economic, diplomatic and others, to return these territories to Ukraine. But de jure they will remain Ukrainian... De jure, no one will recognize these territories as Russian,” Podolyak summarised.
Russia continues to actively manipulate the topic of peace talks and ending its aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, in practice, the Kremlin blocks any practical steps that could bring real peace to Ukraine closer.
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