Without Ukraine’s involvement, Washington has cooperated with Moscow on plans to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kiev representatives have already rejected several points.
Against the backdrop of the peace plan presented by Washington in Kiev, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanischyna, firmly ruled out any border shifts. “Ukraine’s territorial integrity and changing Ukraine’s borders are not issues that should be discussed,” the diplomat said during a panel discussion in Washington. Kiev continues to take the position of stopping the Russian-Ukrainian war on the current front. “There may be more detailed conversations about where exactly that line is, but that is currently part of the dialogue,” Stefanischyna said.
“Russian” peace plan.
The plan published by several media outlets with the same text also includes the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions they previously controlled. In addition, Washington should effectively recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, which it annexed in 2014, as well as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Stefanishyna described 28 points of the plan as “Russian”. “You can talk about every point, but if you take it seriously, it doesn’t make sense,” he said with a smile, denying the Russian side was serious about any talks.
There is no recognition of the surrender of territory
Kiev also underlined its position on territorial issues at a special session of the UN Security Council in New York. “We will never – officially or in any other way – recognize the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as Russian territory. Our land is not for sale,” stressed Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Khrystyna Hajovyshyn. The diplomat also ruled out any restrictions on defense capabilities, such as limits on military power proposed in the plan.
He also criticized the idea of banning Ukraine from joining NATO. “Ukraine will also not tolerate violations of its sovereignty, including its sovereign right to decide which alliances it wishes to join,” stressed Hajovyshyn. At the same time, he warned that plans to end the war in the Eastern European country should not be carried out without Ukraine itself.
With Western help, Ukraine has defended itself against Russian invasion for more than three and a half years.
