Russia-Ukraine conflict: Zelenskyy says Ukraine will fight to recover all territory

As the war in Ukraine moves towards its fourth month, Russian forces launched their offensives at the eastern territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would fight to recover its entire territory, not ceding an inch to Moscow.

In a video message at an event hosted by the Financial Times news outlet, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will recover all of its territories from Russian forces.

This comes amidst heavy fighting at the city of Severodonetsk, where Ukrainian troops are reportedly struggling to maintain control over the city that has been at the center of Russian bombardment.

“We have already lost too many people to simply cede our territory,” said Zelenskyy. “We have to achieve a full de-occupation of our territory.”

Zelenskyy’s remarks were a response to suggestions that Ukraine must cede some of its territories to Russia in order for the war to end.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said in a recent interview that it is important that Moscow must not be “humiliated,” which drew the ire of Ukraine as it appeared to imply that Kyiv must accept some of Russia’s demands.

“We are not going to humiliate anyone, we are going to respond in kind,” said Zelenskyy, referring to Macron’s comments.

Ukrainian troops are trying to maintain their gains after launching a counterattack that shifted the momentum from last week. Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk area, said Ukrainian troops were having difficulty trying to counter Russian attacks at the center of Severodonetsk.

In an online post, Gaidai said Russians are focused on capturing Severodonetsk to “cut off the highway in Lysychansk to Bakhmut,” but Russians are not in control of the city.

Meanwhile, Norway’s defense ministry issued a statement Wednesday announcing that it is donating 22 M109 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, including spare parts, ammunition, and other gear. This comes amidst repeated calls by Kyiv for the West to send heavier weapons.

“The Norwegian government has waited to publicly announce the donation for security reasons. Future donations may not be announced or commented upon,” said the ministry.

Norway has also helped train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany on how to use the howitzers.