Zelenskyy refutes Russia Donbas predictions: would take another 4 years

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the information that the Russian Federation would occupy the entire territory of the Donetsk region by the end of the year "chatter" and added that it would take the enemy another four years to do so.

At a meeting with journalists, the president explained that the Russian Federation occupied all of Crimea and a third of the Donetsk region without a full-scale war, and after the war began, the Russian Federation occupied about a third more.

"Now, in general, they hold about 67-69%. That is, we are saying that for almost 4 years of a full-scale war, they occupied a third of the Donetsk region. And that is why I explained that the stories that they will occupy our Donbas by the end of the year are all chatter. That is, they need another four years to occupy our Donbas," Zelenskyy said.

He also emphasized that the Russians will not receive the Sumy region, since they will not be able to hold the areas in the border area where they are now. "In today's realities, it is a matter of time - a few months - and they will not be in the Sumy region," the president added.

"I also believe that in the long term - I don't want a military perspective - but they won't get the Kharkiv region. And talking about the Mykolaiv region, that they are ready to give us the Kinburn Spit... They only need it to block the sea for us," the head of state noted.

In addition, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupation of the temporarily occupied territories.