President Volodymyr Zelensky never said anything about handing over Ukrainian territories to any country, this is yet another Russian propaganda invention. In reality, the Ukrainian president spoke about rebuilding and developing Ukraine and the temporarily occupied territories after the war. He said that Ukraine should provide priority conditions for foreign companies that remained in Ukraine or came into Ukraine during the war, and left the Russian market because of Moscow’s aggressive politics.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi delivered his annual address to the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, pro-Kremlin publications began spreading claims that after deoccupation, Kyiv would hand over Crimea and Donbas to Russophobic westerners. Publications such as Politnavigator alleged that the Ukrainian President made this announcement in parliament. However, this is a fabricated quote, just another continuation of a popular Russian propaganda narrative, often accompanied by other statements about Russophobia and repression against Russian speakers, which allegedly will begin after Ukraine liberates its Russian occupied territories.
President Zelensky delivered his annual address to the Ukrainian parliament on December 28, 2022. In his speech, he focused on the ten months of war, what the country has already gone through, and what should be its focus in the future.
Regarding Crimea and Donbas, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We have to raise the territory entered by the Russian invaders after February 24 from ruins. We will also restore normal life in Donbas and Crimea, which were illegally occupied in 2014 and have since been brought to the point of catastrophe by the occupiers. For now, it is difficult to estimate the required amount of resources. But we can say that we should prioritize restoring those companies that were in Ukraine or came to Ukraine during the war. They left the Russian market during the war. That’s fair.”
Zelenskyi did not say anything about planning to hand out any territory to Russophobes, this is another propagandist fake.
StopFake has refuted similar manipulations in stories such as Manipulation: US Ambassador to Russia McFaul said that “US academics support Putin’s ideas”, Fake: Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán called Zelensky an idiot.
