Zelenskiy Calls Idea of Ceding Ukrainian Territory to Russia 'Insane'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flatly rejected the idea of giving up any territory to Russia to stop the war, calling the suggestion "insane." Zelenskyy was speaking Tuesday afternoon at a White House news conference alongside President Joe Biden after visiting Capitol Hill to plead with lawmakers to pass more military aid for Ukraine.

Asked by a reporter if he had considered ceding territory to Russia to put an end to the fighting, Zelenskyy slammed the idea. "We have our people there, we have our families there, we have children there. That's a part of Ukrainian society. And we are talking about human beings. They are being tortured, they are being raped and they are being killed," Zelenskyy said. "I don't know whose idea it is, but I have a question to these people. If they are ready to give up their children to terrorists, I think not," he added.

Biden also dismissed the idea of urging Ukraine to start peace talks with Moscow. "We need to ensure Putin continues to fail in Ukraine and Ukraine to succeed. And the best way for that to do that is to pass the supplemental," he said. The U.S. has already provided Ukraine $111 billion since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his grinding invasion more than 21 months ago, but Republicans are insisting on linking any more money to strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry.

The White House is warning that if new money isn't provided by year's end it will have swift consequences for Ukraine's capacity to hold its territory, let alone take back land captured by Russia.

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