Following the results of the Normandy format meeting in Paris, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined a number of principles that Ukraine will not give up on the path to establishing peace in the east of the country.
"I want to outline a number of principles that I will never violate as President of Ukraine, as the Ukrainian people will never agree to this," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with the media following the Normandy summit.
“The first is the impossibility of federalization. Ukraine is a unitary state. It is an invariable article of the Constitution of Ukraine and an inviolable principle of existence of the state,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
The second point on which the Ukrainian state has a steadfast position is the impossibility of exerting any influence on the vector of its movement and development. "Ukraine is an independent, democratic state, whose development vector will always be chosen exclusively by the people of Ukraine," the President stressed.
The Head of State also emphasized the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Ukrainian borders: “Third - the impossibility of compromises on the settlement of the situation in the east of Ukraine through concession in the issue of territory within the internationally recognized borders. For every Ukrainian, both Donbas and Crimea are Ukraine”.
The President also noted that during the negotiations in Paris, he had emphasized on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people that Ukrainians had a deserved right not to believe words and promises and to hope only for the true fulfillment of all agreements.
“We have a clear understanding that only concrete actions will confirm everyone's readiness for peace. For our part, we are ready to implement the agreements, but this is a two-way road,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summarized.
The Head of State also thanked all the leaders of the Normandy format countries for the negotiations.