President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to the comments made by Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff regarding the "five territories" that are supposedly crucial for peace negotiations.

Speaking at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odessa, Zelensky emphasized that only the Ukrainian people have the right to discuss territorial issues.

"All territories belong to the unitary state of Ukraine. Thus, only the people of Ukraine can speak on matters concerning our territories. We have clearly defined red lines – we will not recognize any temporarily occupied territories as anything but Ukrainian," the president stated.

Zelensky added that representatives discussing these matters are exceeding their authority.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated on Fox News that the peace agreement would involve discussions about the "so-called five territories," although he did not specify what they were.

In a previous interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff claimed that the "biggest problem in this conflict is the so-called four regions," yet when he began to list them, he counted five: "Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk, and two others."

Following these remarks, Reuters reported that certain actions and statements by the U.S. envoy regarding the resolution of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine have drawn criticism from the White House and among Republicans.