ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Rome on Tuesday as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine while resisting the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Rome on Tuesday as he continued to rally European support for Ukraine while resisting the U.S. pressure for a painful compromise with Russia.
On Monday, Zelenskyy held talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian president arrived at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome, for a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and is to have talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later.
Answering reporters’ questions in a WhatsApp chat late Monday, Zelenskyy reaffimed his firm refusal to cede any territory, saying that “we clearly don’t want to give up anything,” even as “the Americans are looking for a compromise today, I will be honest.”
“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories,” he said. ”According to the law we don’t have such right. According to Ukraine’s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’s peace proposal.
A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have firmly resisted the idea of handing over land.
