Says Ukraine Wants Peace, President Zelenskiy: We Are On Our Land And Will Give Nothing

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of undermining peace efforts and ruling out making territorial concessions, in a speech early Tuesday.

President Zelenskiy spoke after Russia's decision to formally recognize two Moscow-backed eastern Ukraine regions as independent and send troops to them, accelerating a crisis the West fears could spark a major war.

After chairing a security council meeting, President Zelenskiy accused Russia of violating Ukraine's sovereign territory, saying it could mean Moscow halting the Minsk peace talks aimed at ending the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In addition, President Zelenskiy said Ukraine wants to resolve the crisis through diplomacy, but his country is ready to deal with long-term tensions.

"We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, we will follow it and that's it," said President Zelinskiy.

"But we are in our own land, we are not afraid of anything and anyone, we owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give anything to anyone," he stressed.

He further called for an emergency summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France while urging Ukraine's allies to take action against Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent territories, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic on Monday, ordering the Russian army to launch what Moscow calls a peacekeeping operation into the region, accelerating the crisis it fears. The West can trigger a major war.

Russia's actions drew US and European condemnation and vows of new sanctions, although it was not immediately clear whether Russia's military actions would be seen by the West as the prelude to a full-scale invasion. The area is already controlled by Russian and Moscow-backed separatists in practice.

President Zelenskiy's administration has previously voiced frustration over the West's reluctance to impose preemptive sanctions, after Russia amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border in recent weeks.

"We expect clear and effective support measures from our partners. It is very important to see who our true friends and partners are, and who will continue to frighten the Russian Federation with words," he said.

As previously reported, the Biden Administration on Sunday refused to lift sanctions on Russia, ahead of Russia's widely anticipated invasion of Ukraine, despite criticism from Kyiv and domestic critics.

"The purpose of sanctions in the first degree is to try to prevent Russia from going to war. As soon as you trigger them, the deterrence is gone," Foreign Minister Antony Blinken told CNN's 'State of the Union' program.

The Pentagon's Press Secretary John Kirby on the same occasion argued, Russia's sanctions will now trigger an invasion.

"If you punish someone for something they haven't done, then they probably will," said John Kirby on Fox News Sunday.