Still a long way off: Italy’s prime minister assessed the prospects of resolving the territorial issue between Russia and Ukraine

Kyiv and Moscow are far from resolving the territorial issue in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said this in an interview with Sky TG24.

She noted that Russia’s demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops are unjustified.

Meloni added that the sides are currently far from the core issue—territory—where Moscow continues to lay claims.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there are three positions in the talks on Ukraine regarding the territorial question.

Reports published in December 2025 said that the United States was proposing the creation of a free economic zone in the Donbas; Russia was demanding the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas; and Ukraine was proposing to stop at the current line of contact.

In January 2026, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not give up the Donbas or the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant without a fight. And in February, the Ukrainian president said that Russia and Ukraine do not agree with the U.S. proposal to create a free economic zone in the Donbas.