Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that if Russia held referendums in occupied areas of his country on joining Russia, there could be no talks with Ukraine or its international allies.
Russian forces and their separatist allies now hold large swaths of territory in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and southern regions after launching what the Kremlin calls a ‘special military operation’ in the territory of its neighbour. Officials from both regions have raised the possibility of holding referendums.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Kyiv stood firm on its position of not ceding any territory to Russia.
“Our country’s position remains what it has always been. We will not give up anything that is ours,” Zelenskyy said.
“If the occupiers continue on the path of pseudo-referendums, they will close off any possibility of talks with Ukraine and the free world, which the Russian side will clearly need at some point.”
Russian and Ukrainian officials held several talks shortly after Russian forces launched their invasion of Ukraine in February.
But little progress has been made and no meetings have been held since late March, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in contact.
Russian forces hold most of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine and officials in charge have suggested a referendum on joining Russia could be held in the coming weeks or months.
In the Donbass, Russian proxies seized swaths of territory in 2014, held independence referendums and proclaimed “people’s republics” in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. The Kremlin recognized the republics on the eve of the February invasion.
The governor of the Luhansk region – almost entirely under Russian control for several weeks – suggested over the weekend that Russia was preparing for a new referendum in the newly captured areas and offering residents benefits for their participation.
(Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker)