President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with journalists and answered their questions. Babel has compiled the main points from the conversation.
Unblocking the Strait of Hormuz
Ukraine sent its military to a meeting (April 22-23) in London, hosted by the United Kingdom and France. This is the second such meeting, but the first at the military level. Zelensky joined the first meeting, which was at the level of political leaders, online, and was attended by more than 30 countries.
Ukraine can share its experience and expertise, but the president cannot say what steps will be taken next.
Renaming part of Donetsk region to "Donnyland"
The main thing is that Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain Ukrainian land, and most importantly, that there is no “Putinland”. During the negotiations, in which Zelensky participates, there are no names for these territories other than Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The day before, The New York Times, citing four sources, wrote that during peace talks in recent months, Ukrainian officials suggested that the part of Donetsk region that remains under Ukrainian control and that Russia demands to be transferred under its control could be called “Donnyland”.
The name would refer both to the word “Donbas” and to the name of US President Donald Trump. When a Ukrainian negotiator first mentioned the term (partly in jest), it was part of an attempt to persuade the Trump administration to do more to resist Russia’s territorial claims.
Resumption of negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation
Ukraine is ready to meet at any time, anywhere, except Russia and Belarus. The Ukrainian and US negotiating teams are in constant communication, and Ukraine very much hopes for the resumption of talks.
The last round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 26. After that, they were postponed repeatedly — due to the fact that the US and Israel started a war against Iran.
Hungaryʼs position
Zelensky hopes that the Hungarian position will be constructive. He is ready to meet with the future Prime Minister Péter Magyar at any time, but believes that the latter has internal issues to resolve. Among them are the appointment of a new government and relations with the European Union.
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