Volodymyr Zelensky, in the next phase of talks to end the war in Ukraine, intends to draw a red line at the most contentious issue on the table: the Russian demand for Ukraine’s sovereign territory. As long as he remains the nation’s president, Zelensky will not agree to give up land in exchange for peace, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Andriy Yermak, told me today in an exclusive interview.

“Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory,” said Yermak, who has served as Zelensky’s chief of staff, lead negotiator, and closest aide throughout the full-scale war with Russia.

“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” he told me by telephone from Kyiv. “The constitution prohibits this. Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.”

https://archive.ph/HaMwP

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    4 months ago

    It’s not simply a bad political decision to give up territory it’s illogical as well.

    The fact that Russia is even engaging in a war with Ukraine indicates that they are duplicitous since they agreed not to attack Ukraine in order to get Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons.

    Any deal with Russia will be violated as soon as it suits Russia to violate it. Giving up a territory for peace simply gives Russia the opportunity to rebuild their forces, as soon as those forces are rebuilt they will violate the peace treaty. Again.

    • plyth@feddit.org
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      4 months ago

      agreed not to attack Ukraine in order to get Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons.

      Russia argues that there was a regime change in 2014 which released them from that agreement.

      • yermaw@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Shocking new informartion shows that russia had their fingers crossed behind their backs at the time the deal was made.

        • smol_beans@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          What about the majority of Ukranians that voted for the gov that got overthrown in 2014? Their voices and opinions don’t count?

        • plyth@feddit.org
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          4 months ago

          Minsk II, they are pointless. People even question US and French Nato commitment.

          But hypothetically speaking, why should Russia be bound to the agreement if the West actually did a regime change?