Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, on Tuesday, that “the path to independence for his country passes through the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and the Crimean peninsula,” as he inspected his forces fighting the Russian army in eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky added, in a post on Instagram, that he was visiting the troops in Donbass in eastern Ukraine, and said: “I think that next time we will meet in Ukrainian Donetsk, Luhansk, I’m sure in Crimea as well.”
Standing in front of a sign on the road to the city of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said, “The path to independence lies in Donetsk, Luhansk and, of course, Crimea.”
During his remarks from the east of the country to celebrate the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zelensky indicated that he would like to celebrate the next day of the Armed Forces “under a quiet sky” in Independence Square, in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
This comes as the Kremlin said, on Tuesday, that it agrees with the United States on the need to establish a lasting peace in Ukraine, but that it does not see an opportunity for negotiations at the present time.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Regarding that the result should be a just and lasting peace, we agree with that. As for the chances of entering into negotiations of any kind, we don’t see any at the moment,” adding that it would have to That Russia achieve the objectives of its “special military operation” in Ukraine first before holding talks with any potential partners.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in an interview on Monday that the conflict in Ukraine would “almost certainly” end through diplomacy and negotiations, adding that a “just and lasting peace” was needed.
