Ukraine war: Zelensky says no deal without Russian withdrawal, Putin must agree to meet to negotiate end of fighting | South China Morning Post

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country could not accept a deal with Moscow that would allow Russian troops to remain in occupied territory. Speaking Wednesday to participants in The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had halted the Russian offensive in what he described as the first stage of the conflict. In the second stage, he said, Ukraine would expel Russian troops from its territory and in the third, would move to fully restore its territorial integrity. Zelenskyy said he would not accept a ceasefire deal that would allow Russian forces to remain in their…