During a press conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to questions about information from The Wall Street Journal, which claims that the U.S. may recognize Crimea as Russian, abandon Ukraine's NATO membership, and create a neutral zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under U.S. control.

Source: Zelensky's press conference, broadcast by "Suspilne".

Direct quote: "When we talk about Crimea, we must remember that this could drag out the war, which is exactly what Russia wants. We have been fighting for 12 years. This is the answer to the question of whether it is possible to negotiate with Russia over territories."

Details: Regarding the media's report on the potential recognition of Crimea as Russian, the president said, "These are just signals, ideas, visions, but this is not an official proposal to Ukraine."

Zelensky also emphasized that it is unclear whose proposals these are. It may be a vision from the U.S. or something they understood after talks with Putin.

Direct quote: "Ukraine does not legally recognize Crimea as Russian; this contradicts our Constitution. This is our territory, and we have already stated this many times."

Details: The president added that on April 23, the Ukrainian delegation will discuss the possibility of a ceasefire.

"We are ready for this stage and for any format of discussion to avoid a deadlock," he emphasized.

Regarding NATO, the president is confident that there is dialogue between the U.S. and Russia concerning Ukraine.

However, "only NATO countries have the right to decide on Ukraine's accession to the Alliance," he stated.

Regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Zelensky highlighted that the plant will not operate without Ukraine, and the U.S. will need Ukrainian technical staff.

Direct quote: "If we work with the U.S. to restore the nuclear plant after the Russians leave, that would be reasonable. However, there has been no official proposal regarding the NPP. Ukraine is open to partnering with the U.S. for the restoration of any facility."

Background: The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is awaiting Ukraine's response regarding the recognition of Crimea as Russian and the abandonment of NATO, as well as considering the idea of a neutral zone around the NPP.