May 22, 20226:08 AM GMT+7Last Updated 11 hours ago
Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, receives questions from a member of the media after a meeting with Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Turkey March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan
KYIV, May 21 (Reuters)
- Ukraine on Saturday ruled out agreeing to a ceasefire with Russia and said
Kyiv would not accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory.
Acknowledging that
Kyiv's stance on the war was becoming more uncompromising, presidential adviser
Mykhailo Podolyak said making concessions would backfire on Ukraine because
Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting.
"The war will not
stop (after any concessions). It will just be put on pause for some time,"
he told Reuters in an interview in the heavily guarded presidential office,
where some of the windows and corridors are protected by sandbags.
"After a while,
with renewed intensity, the Russians will build up their weapons, manpower and
work on their mistakes, modernise a little, fire many generals … And they'll
start a new offensive, even more bloody and large-scale."
Podolyak dismissed as
"very strange" calls in the West for an urgent ceasefire that would
involve Russian forces remaining in territory they have occupied in Ukraine's
south and east.
"The (Russian) forces must leave the country and after that the resumption of the peace process will be possible," he said.
Both sides say peace
talks have stagnated. Each blames the other. read more
Thousands of people
have been killed, millions have been displaced and towns and cities have been
devastated since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. [nL2N2XD01M
Russia says it has
taken full control of the southern city of Mariupol in what it calls its
"special military operation" in Ukraine, but its invasion has stalled
in other areas and Ukraine has been bolstered by increasing arms supplies from
its allies.
A ceasefire would play
into the Kremlin's hands, Podolyak said.
"They want to
lock in some kind of military successes. There will definitely be no military
successes given the help from our Western partners," he said.
"It would be good
if the European and U.S. elites understand to the end: Russia can't be left
halfway because they will (develop) a 'revanchist' mood and be even more cruel
... They must be defeated, be subjected to a painful defeat, as painful as
possible."
Editing by Timothy
Heritage
👍 Ukraine, you are right! Don't hear some... coward "elite" in somewhere in the world, because that's your country, your land, your fate. Don't accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory.
No comments:
Post a Comment