Ukraine will not legally recognize any temporarily occupied territories, – Zelenskyy

This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with journalists.

"Our position remains unchanged: only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian. The Constitution of Ukraine states that all temporarily occupied territories are temporarily occupied. They all belong to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people. Ukraine will not legally recognize any temporarily occupied territories. I believe this is a completely fair position. It is legal not only from the perspective of the Constitution of Ukraine but also from the perspective of international law," noted Zelenskyy.

At the same time, he emphasized that the majority of countries in the world support Ukraine in this position.

"Even those countries that constantly balance their relations between us and Russia, even they all recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula," stressed the President.

Moreover, he commented on the issue of joining NATO. The head of state noted that currently, Ukraine’s position depends on the support of the countries that are members of the Alliance.

"Today, I think we should be pragmatic, we should understand that there are security guarantees that Ukraine needs. There are issues that were discussed in London regarding security guarantees from the USA. We very much want them to be as strong, at least, as those of Israel. We also expect a contingent from our European colleagues. We are working on the security guarantee infrastructure," Zelenskyy stressed.

He added that along with the European contingent, Ukraine expects support from the USA. According to Zelenskyy, it is not about the direct presence of the United States on the territory of Ukraine, but about cooperation in intelligence, cybersecurity, and the Patriot air defence systems.