MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. Residents of Ukrainian regions should decide for themselves which country they want to live in, as Vladimir Zelensky has neither the moral authority nor legal grounds to determine territorial issues in a potential exchange with Russia, Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement and former head of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, banned in Ukraine, stated.
"There can be no territorial exchange simply because Zelensky says so, since he has lost both the moral and legal right to dispose of these territories. Territorial exchange cannot happen like at a market or in a failing economy where everything is measured by barter. Conditions must be created for people living in these territories to decide where they want to live, in Russia or Ukraine, as was already done in six former regions of Ukraine," Medvedchuk wrote in an article for the Smotrim.ru portal.
The politician emphasized that it should be the people deciding their fate, "not the expired Zelensky and opportunists from Brussels."
The topic of a possible "compromise" or "exchange" of territories began circulating in Western media following the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump in Alaska. On August 18, Trump is scheduled to meet with Zelensky in Washington, followed by multilateral talks between the US president and European leaders.
The New York Times, citing sources, reported that following his meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump presented European leaders with a peace plan under which Ukraine would cede all of Donbass to Russia, including areas still not liberated. According to the report, Trump believes a swift settlement is possible if Zelensky agrees to such terms. In exchange, a ceasefire along the current frontline would be declared and security guarantees introduced for both the Kiev regime and Europe.
Later, Reuters noted that in a conversation with Trump after his talks with Putin, Zelensky insisted that conceding all of Donbass to Russia was impossible.
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that its special military operation in Ukraine will end only when all its objectives are fulfilled. As Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted, these goals may be reached either through the op’s completion or through negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined the operation’s objectives, including Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral status and recognition of on-the-ground realities.
The Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions became part of Russia following referendums held from September 23-27, 2022. Crimea and Sevastopol rejoined Russia after a March 2014 referendum conducted amid Ukraine's political coup.