Russian forces and their separatist allies now hold large swaths of territory in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region and southern regions after launching what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” on the neighbor’s territory. Officials in both regions have raised the possibility of holding referendums. In his nightly video speech, Zelensky said Kyiv firmly stands by its position of not ceding territory to Russia. “The position of our country remains what it has always been. We will not give up anything that is ours,” Zelensky said. “If the occupiers go down the road of pseudo-referendums, they will close to themselves any chance 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 immediately after Russian forces began invading Ukraine in February. However, little progress has been made and no meetings have taken place since late March, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in contacts. Russian forces hold most of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, and officials have suggested a referendum on joining Russia could be held in the coming weeks or months. In Donbas, Russian proxies seized swathes of territory in 2014, held independence referendums and declared “people’s democracies” in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Kremlin recognized the republics on the eve of the February invasion. The governor of Luhansk region — almost entirely under Russian control for several weeks — suggested over the weekend that Russia was preparing for a new referendum in newly seized areas and offered residents benefits for taking part. (Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker)
title: “Ukraine S Zelensky Rules Out Talks If Russia Holds Referendums " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Linda Robleto”
Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that if Russia held referendums in his country’s occupied territories 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 eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region and southern regions after launching what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” on the neighbor’s territory. Officials in both regions have raised the possibility of holding referendums. In his nightly video speech, Zelensky said Kyiv firmly stands by its position of not ceding territory to Russia. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “The position of our country remains what it has always been. We will not give up anything that is ours,” Zelensky said. “If the occupiers go down the road of pseudo-referendums, they will close to themselves any chance 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 immediately after Russian forces began invading Ukraine in February. However, little progress has been made and no meetings have taken place since late March, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in contacts. Russian forces hold most of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, and officials have suggested a referendum on joining Russia could be held in the coming weeks or months. In Donbas, Russian proxies seized swathes of territory in 2014, held independence referendums and declared “people’s democracies” in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Kremlin recognized the republics on the eve of the February invasion. The governor of Luhansk region — almost entirely under Russian control for several weeks — suggested over the weekend that Russia was preparing for a new referendum in newly seized areas and offered residents benefits for taking part. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Ronald Popeski. Edited by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
