'Surrender is absurd' Ukrainians condemn the idea of ceding territory to Russia

Ukrainians condemn the idea of ceding territory to Russia

- Dan Sabbagh Kyiv Artem Mazhulin

A string of Ukrainian politicians and public figures yesterday condemned the idea of handing over unoccupied land to Russia for peace, arguing that their country had not been defeated and should not be forced into a surrender.

The hardening of the mood came at the end of a weekend where there was first ridicule and disgust in Ukraine at the red-carpet treatment of Vladimir Putin by Donald Trump at their summit on Friday in Alaska, followed by frustration as it appeared that Trump was siding with the Russian leader.

Trump reportedly told European leaders that he believed a peace deal could be negotiated if Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to give up the areas of the Donbas region that the Russian invaders have not been able to seize in more than three years of fighting.

Halyna Yanchenko, an independent member of Ukraine's parliament, said demands that Ukraine "simply surrender new territories without a fight - just because Putin wants it - is absurd from the very start".

The MP, an anti-corruption activist, said hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians would be affected by Putin's proposal, initially favoured by Trump after the Alaska summit.