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Ukraine will not accept any demands that Russia has tried to impose since the start of its aggression and supports coordination — or even the development of a joint position — with the EU in future peace negotiations.
Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, made this statement during a discussion following the Munich Security Conference, titled “Time for Decisive Action on Ukraine,” organized by the European Policy Center (EPC), Ukrinform reports.
When asked by an Ukrinform correspondent whether Ukraine would agree to Russia’s demands to cede four regions and abandon NATO membership as preconditions for negotiations, Zhovkva firmly rejected such terms. He also confirmed that working on a shared stance with the EU in future talks was possible.
“Since the beginning of the war, Russia has presented numerous conditions — denazification, demilitarization, and so on. But are these the terms for real negotiations if one side hides its true motives? If you start like this, you must be prepared for the consequences. Are we ready to discuss these Russian proposals? Absolutely not! That is why coordination is crucial. And yes, coordinating positions between Ukraine and Europe is entirely possible. If necessary, we can even prepare joint proposals,” Zhovkva said.
He stressed that Ukraine is open to such coordination with its partners, a topic raised in nearly every meeting the Ukrainian delegation held at the Munich Security Conference, including discussions with EU leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Zhovkva also noted that Ukraine is equally willing to coordinate negotiation positions with the United States, but this should happen before any further talks or diplomatic engagements. However, he clarified that Ukraine would not participate in the U.S.-Russia meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and had received no official information from Washington about the meeting.
“[In Munich], we met with the U.S. Vice President as well as delegations from the Senate and Congress, where we presented our stance and proposals. We discussed all issues, including NATO membership or an invitation to join, as part of security guarantees. Yes, we heard their position on this. But as President [Zelensky] has clearly stated, Ukraine is not taking this issue off the table. We are ready and unafraid to discuss it. We want to hear the stance of other NATO allies, but unfortunately, we haven’t yet. That is a question for the leaders. Still, coordination must continue, and we hope it will,” Zhovkva said.
Last week, U.S. officials at the NATO defense ministers’ meeting and the Munich Security Conference urged European nations to significantly increase defense spending and take greater responsibility for their own security, including providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
Following the discussions in Munich, an emergency informal meeting was held in Paris on Monday, bringing together EU leaders and top European and NATO officials to discuss continued support for Ukraine and ways to strengthen European security.
Read also: Paris meeting confirms Ukraine deserves ‘peace through strength’ – EU
