Russia Will Not Leave Occupied Territories, But They Legally Remain Part of Ukraine, Kellog Says

Keith Kellogg, the US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia stated that Russia has no plans to leave the temporarily occupied territories, but legally, they do not constitute part of the aggressor country.

In an interview with Fox News on March 26, Kellogg emphasized that Russia effectively controls the entire Luhansk region, while it only partially controls Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

According to him, in any resolution of the war, it is crucial to distinguish between actual and legal control. While the Russians are physically present in the occupied territories and have no plans to leave, legally, these territories remain part of Ukraine.

“De facto, this means that they have physically occupied the territory and will not go anywhere from it. But de jure, we cannot say that they have completely annexed it. The international community does not recognize this territory as part of Russia. These are the difficult discussions that still need to be held,” Kellogg said.

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The Special Representative stated that to reach a political solution, it is essential to understand the positions of both Ukraine and Russia and to find a compromise that will at least partially satisfy both sides.

“I think we need to get what you might call a technical assignment. What do the Ukrainians want? What do the Russians want? Then it is worth bringing these positions together and finding an option that may satisfy both parties. But, of course, neither of them will get everything they want,” Kellogg added.

In an interview published on March 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is preparing for a new spring offensive. According to him, Moscow is concentrating its forces on an attack, particularly targeting the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.