Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would not concede his country's land despite escalating tensions with Russia.
"We are committed to the peaceful and diplomatic path, we will follow it and only it," Zelensky said, according to Reuters. "But we are on our own land, we are not afraid of anything and anybody, we owe nothing to no one, and we will give nothing to no one."
The president also called for an emergency meeting of the leaders from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France as well as support from Ukraine's allies, Reuters reported.
"We expect clear and effective steps of support from our partners," Zelensky said. "It is very important to see who is our real friend and partner, and who will continue to scare the Russian Federation with words."
Zelensky's remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the two separatist regions in Ukraine, known as the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, as independent.
