Ukraine Rules Out Territorial Compromises in Exchange for Peace

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that Kyiv has not abandoned the principle of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’ and will not compromise on territorial integrity and sovereignty. 

He said this at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, 1 October.

The Foreign Minister stressed that we should strive for ‘full responsibility of Russia and restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, including Crimea’, rather than territorial compromises.

‘Otherwise, it will be a delayed war. Europe cannot afford to have grey zones or frozen conflicts,’ he stressed.

Sybiha also recalled the Ukrainian ‘peace formula’, calling it the only alternative way to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine and the European continent.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically denied the information provided by the Financial Times on Monday that Ukrainian officials had allegedly become ‘more open to discussing a potential ceasefire agreement’ with their Western counterparts, which would have meant that Russian troops would have remained in the occupied territories and Ukraine would have received real security guarantees.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry stressed that Minister Sybiha had emphasised in private meetings that compromises on Ukraine's territorial integrity were unacceptable.