Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to the scandalous statement by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff that the key to a peace deal revolves around "five territories."
Points of attention
- Zelenskyy's remarks come in response to Steve Witkoff's vague statement on the 'five territories' in a potential peace agreement, which lacked clarity.
- Zelensky's strong stance underscores Ukraine's commitment to defending its sovereignty and autonomy in negotiations with international partners.
Zelenskyy commented on Witkoff's words
The Ukrainian leader made a statement on this matter during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odessa.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again reminded the team of US President Donald Trump that Ukraine is a sovereign state and only the Ukrainian people can speak about its territories.
All territories belong to the unitary state of Ukraine. Therefore, again, only the people of Ukraine can speak about the territories of our state. And you know that for us these are red lines — to recognize any temporarily occupied territories as not Ukrainian, but Russian.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
According to the head of state, the relevant representatives — primarily Vitkoff — are "discussing issues beyond their competence."
As previously mentioned, US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that the peace agreement would include resolving the "so-called five territories." However, he did not explain what exactly this meant.