Zelensky admits Ukraine 'does not have the strength to recover' territory it has lost to Russia
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine 'does not have the strength to recover' territory taken by Russian forces and that only diplomatic pressure on Moscow could now bring an end to the conflict. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and controls roughly 80 per cent of Donbas, a region that includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
![[The Ukrainian president issued a decree in 2022 barring his country from holding peace talks with Moscow's Vladimir Putin (pictured), but it appears his stance is gradually changing]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/18/93287273-14206865-image-a-2_1734547949592.jpg)
It also exerts some control in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Combined with Crimea, Moscow has laid claim to all five regions, with the most intense fighting against Ukrainian troops occurring at points across the territories. Zelensky told French newspaper Le Parisien that despite Ukraine claiming the land, these areas are now controlled by the Russians 'de facto'.
![[Zelensky admitted Ukraine is not 'in a weak position, but we're also not in a strong one.' Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers during a training exercise in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/18/93287309-14206865-image-a-3_1734548067800.jpg)
'We do not have the strength to recover them,' he conceded. The Ukrainian president issued a decree in 2022 barring his country from holding peace talks with Moscow, but it appears his stance is gradually changing. When asked if Ukraine might get around the negotiating table with Russia, he did not rule out that possibility, but said diplomatic pressure from other nations was essential in making it happen.
![[Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said Russia's troops had seized almost 4,500 sq kms of Ukrainian territory this year and were gaining around 30 sq kms a day]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/18/93287397-14206865-image-a-4_1734548188518.jpg)
President Zelensky has admitted Ukraine 'does not have the strength to recover' territory taken by Russian forces. The Ukrainian president issued a decree in 2022 barring his country from holding peace talks with Moscow's Vladimir Putin (pictured), but it appears his stance is gradually changing.
![[US president-elect Donald Trump slammed President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to deploy western long-range missiles that can hit targets within Russia as 'foolish']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/18/93287423-14206865-image-a-5_1734548331327.jpg)
