Zelensky: Recognizing temporarily occupied areas as Russian would mean forgiving Russia

Recognizing Russian jurisdiction over temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine would imply forgiving Russia.

That’s according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke in an interview with CBN, Ukrinform reports.

"We cannot legally recognize our territories occupied by Russia as Russian. We cannot do so under the Constitution of Ukraine, by law, and internally. This would a split for Ukraine, for our society. Our strongest weapon throughout a full-scale invasion is public unity. And I believe this is our strongest weapon - our people and their unity. Therefore, we can’t play with things that could split society," Zelensky said.

The president noted that with sufficient strength and equipment, which Ukraine requested from its partners, the Ukrainian Army could exert higher pressure on the frontlines.

At the same time, as the Ukrainian leader noted, due to insufficient capabilities, "some issues may be resolved diplomatically."

At the same time, Ukraine shall not legally recognize occupied areas as Russian territory.

"If we legally recognized certain, temporarily occupied, territories as Russian, then we would forgive them. It would mean the world has calmed down and given them an opportunity. And again, this would a very bad example for such risks emerging in the future in other parts of the world. Therefore, it is legally impossible," Zelensky said.

Photo: President's Office