Zelensky: negotiations with Russia are possible only when Ukraine takes back all its territories
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Japanese television channel NHK that Kyiv is going to first win back all the territory captured by Russia, and only then negotiation will be possible.
"We will take back the territory of the country the way it was before February 24, and then sit at the negotiating table with Russia," Zelensky told Japanese journalists.
The Ukrainian President said that Ukrainian counterattack is imminent. It will begin when long-range missiles and other weapons arrive. He noted that the ultimate goal will be to take back all Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, but negotiations can begin when the country retakes the territory within the borders on February 24.
Zelensky noted that Russia is hurting the whole world - Asia, Europe and Africa, blocking Ukrainians' access to the Black Sea and not allowing Ukraine to export 22 million tons of grain. He expressed hope that Japan "understands that rapprochement between Russia and China is not desirable."
According to Japanese journalists, at the entrance to the room in which Zelensky gave an interview, they were thoroughly searched, and had to leave all electronic devices before entering. In the government building, sandbags were piled around the windows and near the stairs, and vigilant soldiers with machine guns were everywhere.