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The New York Times reports that for months, Ukrainian officials have stated that they would not concede any territory occupied by Russia in any peace settlement. However, with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump pushing for an “accelerated negotiation timeline,” Ukraine is now placing as much emphasis on obtaining security guarantees as on determining the potential demarcation line.
As Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground in the east, two senior Ukrainian officials said that protecting Ukraine’s interests in potential negotiations would depend less on borders — likely to be shaped by ongoing fighting — and more on guarantees to uphold a ceasefire.
Roman Kostenko, head of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Defense and Intelligence Committee, emphasized: “Negotiations must be based on guarantees. Nothing is more important for Ukraine.”
Another senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the issue, added: “The territorial issue is extremely important, but it remains a secondary one. The primary issue is security guarantees.”
Kostenko further remarked that Ukraine bases its borders on the 1991 declaration of independence. Since then, Russia has taken control of approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory, but Kyiv officially stands firm in its claims to all land under Russian occupation.
This approach appears to lay the groundwork for a potential agreement that might leave Russia with control over some Ukrainian territory, though only temporarily or de facto. In October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing ceasefire discussions, noted: “Everyone understands that regardless of the path we take, legally, no one will recognize occupied territories as belonging to other countries.” publication writes.
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