Zelensky trashes Trump's peace terms | 9 Aug 2025 | Vladimir Zelensky has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's call for territorial concessions to Russia, claiming no such agreement would be accepted by the Ukrainian people. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow this week and reportedly made significant progress toward a compromise aimed at ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. president said the proposal includes "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" sides and that Zelensky would need to find a way to approve such a deal under Ukrainian law. In his regular video address on Saturday, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine's borders are defined by its constitution and that "nobody can or will" make concessions on the issue. The Ukrainian Constitution, which Zelensky cited, also requires a president to hand power to either a newly elected successor or the parliament speaker when their term ends. [Dictator] Zelensky did neither when his term expired last year, retaining power under martial law.