The Albany Gazette - Zelensky says 'unacceptable' to offer Putin concessions on Ukraine

Kyiv is scrambling to up the pressure on its allies for more support in its fight against Moscow following Donald Trump's victory in this week's US presidential election.

Trump has boasted he could end the conflict within hours and repeatedly criticised American aid to Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede swathes more territory in its east and south as a precondition to peace talks, while Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out giving up land in exchange for peace.

Ukraine and many in the West fear any settlement that rewards Putin would only embolden the Kremlin leader and lead to more aggression.

Speaking to European leaders at a summit in Hungary, Zelensky blasted those who were pressuring him to give in to some of Putin's hardline demands.

"There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions," Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency.

"It's unacceptable for Ukraine and unacceptable for all Europe," he added.

He also accused some European leaders, without specifying which ones, of "strongly" pushing Ukraine to compromise.

"We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won't help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse," Zelensky said.

- 'Choice' -

The comments came as Russian strikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, including on a hospital and residential buildings, killed at least four people.

Another 18, including at least two children, were wounded, Ukraine's emergency services said.

"There may still be people under the rubble," the agency said in a post on Telegram.

The industrial hub, which Russia has attacked more in recent days, had a pre-war population of more than 700,000 people and lies around 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the nearest Russian positions.

Footage published by officials showed emergency workers pulling victims from the debris, as they held back locals from trying to get to the remnants of one building, reduced to a pile of rubble.

Hours before the strikes, Russia demanded that Kyiv's allies enter into negotiations with Moscow if they want to halt the brutish attacks on Ukrainians.

The head of Russia's Security Council Sergei Shoigu said the West faced a choice between opening direct talks with Moscow or the continuing "destruction" of Ukraine's population.

"Now, when the situation in the theatre of combat is not in Kyiv's favour, the West is faced with a choice," Shoigu said at a meeting with defence officials of other former Soviet states.

"To continue financing (Kyiv) and the destruction of the Ukrainian population or recognise the current realities and start negotiating," the former defence minister said.

They were among the first comments from a Russian official since Trump was confirmed to have been elected president of the United States.

- Russian advances -

Zelensky has previously said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.

His outmanned and outgunned army is already on the back foot in the eastern Donbas region, where Russian forces have been slowly advancing for months.

Moscow on Thursday said its forces had wrested control of Kreminna Balka, a village that had a pre-war population of fewer than 50 people in the industrial Donetsk region where Ukrainian defences have been pushed back again and again.

Ukrainian media reported that Donetsk region authorities were preparing to announce mandatory evacuations from seven more villages in a region that the Kremlin claimed in 2022 was part of Russia.

Two were killed in shelling there on Thursday, the local governor reported.

Russia had overnight launched 106 drones at Ukraine, the air force said, adding that 74 were shot down over 11 regions.

Two people were killed in the overnight aerial attacks in the frontline Kherson and Sumy regions, the local governors reported.

(B.Smith--TAG)