As long as Zelensky remains the president of Ukraine, one should not expect the country to concede territories to the Russian Federation, Andriy Ermak stated, DW reports.
Kyiv does not intend to concede the territories captured by Russia in eastern Ukraine, as this is prohibited by the country's constitution. At the moment, it is only possible to talk about determining the line of contact, stated the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, in an interview with The Atlantic published on Thursday, November 27.
"No sane person today would sign a document renouncing territory," the publication quotes Ermak.
According to him, as long as Volodymyr Zelensky remains the president of Ukraine, "no one should expect" Kyiv to recognize the occupied regions as belonging to the Russian Federation. "The constitution prohibits this. No one can do this unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people," emphasized the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
If there is to be any discussion of a "territorial issue," Ukraine is only ready to discuss where the line defining the borders of the territories controlled by the warring parties should pass, Ermak stated.
"All we can realistically talk about now is defining the line of contact. And that is what we need to do," he emphasized.
On the same day, Ermak announced on his social media pages that the delegations of the United States and Ukraine would continue the discussions on the so-called Trump plan that began in Geneva at the end of the week. This was also confirmed by Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest video address to the citizens, published on the evening of November 27. At the same time, the protection of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and resistance at the front are important for Ukraine, the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
Putin Again Demands Return of Ukrainian Territories Without a Fight
Ukraine's position in the next round of negotiations, which Ermak outlined for the first time, will sharply limit the negotiators' ability to reach a peace agreement, notes The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster, who obtained comments from Ermak.
So far, Moscow has not shown any willingness to abandon its demands for Kyiv to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the part of Donbas that Russian troops did not capture during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These same statements were repeated by Vladimir Putin on November 27. "Ukrainian troops will leave the territories they occupy - only then will hostilities cease. If they do not leave - we will achieve this by armed means," stated the President of the Russian Federation during a press conference during his visit to Kyrgyzstan.
At the same time, Putin confirmed that a U.S. delegation would arrive in Moscow in early December, which is expected to bring a revised version of the Trump plan. Russian representatives have already stated that they do not accept changes to the document, which is based on Moscow's maximalist demands on Kyiv.
European Parliament Has Set Its Demands for the Trump Plan
Any peace negotiations regarding Ukraine should be based on a European peace strategy rooted in international law and aimed at strengthening the security of Ukraine and all of Europe. This statement is contained in the resolution "EU Position on the Proposed Plan and EU Participation in Achieving a Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine," which was adopted by the European Parliament on November 27.
At the same time, MEPs criticized the "ambiguous policy" of the United States regarding Ukraine, stating that it hinders the "achievement of lasting peace." "Peace cannot be achieved through concessions to the aggressor, but requires unwavering and constant support for Ukraine and adequate deterrence of Russia from repeating aggression in the future," the resolution also states.
Furthermore, the European Parliament believes that any peace agreement should obligate Russia to fully compensate Ukraine for the material and immaterial damage caused during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The document should also guarantee full accountability for the crime of aggression and war crimes committed by Russia and its allies against Ukraine before the International Criminal Court and a special tribunal for the crime of aggression, according to MEPs.
