Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his interview with the European public broadcasters that he would raise the issues of Crimea and Donbas during his first meeting with the Russian President, but there would be no quick resolution.
"During my first meeting with the President of Russia, I am ready to raise these issues; they are urgent and vital for us. But I am sure that this meeting will not produce a solution," he stated, adding that first Ukraine must receive the guarantees of its security.
"I think it's a painful situation for everyone, Crimea and Donbas. To find a solution, we have to make the first step: ending the war and guaranteeing our safety. We can negotiate about the temporarily occupied territories, but that will happen later. Why? Everything's very sensitive now. Once this period is over, we will be able to talk," said Zelenskyy. He also stated that the Ukrainian referendum would have a final word in the compromise between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, including security guarantees and the status of the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea.
The President also said that "some NATO countries want to be security guarantors and are ready to do everything the Alliance would have to do if we were its members."