Ukraine on Friday rejected a proposition from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had suggested Kyiv should give up Crimea to end the war with Russia.
Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
“There is no legal, political or moral reason that would justify us having to yield even a centimetre of Ukrainian land,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
“Any mediation efforts to restore peace in Ukraine should be based on respect for the sovereignty and the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” he added.
On Thursday, Lula said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “could not get everything” and suggested Ukraine could give up Crimea to begin peace discussions.
Lula has issued a vague proposal to end the Ukraine conflict, expected to be discussed during a trip next week to China, which also put forward a plan.
Lula has proposed creating a group of countries to mediate in the war in Ukraine.
The Brazilian leader said he was “confident” that this group “would be created” after his trip.
Russia has repeatedly said that peace negotiations were not on the table at this stage and vowed to continue its offensive.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said negotiations would be possible only if they included the establishment of a “new world order” without US hegemony.
