Henry Kissinger
Photo: Jaime R Carrero / REUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has sharply rejected suggestions that the government in Kyiv should make territorial concessions to Russia to end the war.
"Whatever the Russian state does, there will always be someone who says: Let's take his interests into account," Zelenskyj said in a video speech on Thursday night.
The New York Times published an op-ed on May 19 stating that peace talks may require "painful territorial decisions" on the part of Ukraine, since military victory is "not a realistic goal".
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger suggested at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that Ukraine should cede Crimea, annexed in 2014, to Russia.
»One gets the impression that Mr. Kissinger does not have the year 2022 on his calendar, but the year 1938, and that he thinks he is not speaking in Davos but in Munich to an audience of that time.« In 1938 Great Britain, France closed , Italy and Germany signed a pact in Munich that promised Adolf Hitler land in what was then Czechoslovakia in order to persuade him to forgo further territorial expansion.
"Those who advise Ukraine to give something to Russia, these 'great world political figures', never see the ordinary people, the ordinary Ukrainians, the millions living in the territory they want to trade for an illusory peace."
Zelenskyi was video-connected to a round of talks in Davos on Wednesday and said Ukraine would not give up any territory.
"Ukraine is fighting until it has all its territory back." He said he was ready to hold talks with Moscow if Russia retreated to the pre-February 24 front lines.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is demanding that Ukraine recognize Crimea as Russian territory and breakaway, Russian-backed parts of eastern Ukraine as independent states.
Ukraine categorically rejects this.
pbe/Reuters/dpa
