Volodymyr Zelensky, in the next phase of talks to end the war in Ukraine, intends to draw a red line at the most contentious issue on the table: the Russian demand for Ukraine’s sovereign territory. As long as he remains the nation’s president, Zelensky will not agree to give up land in exchange for peace, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Andriy Yermak, told me today in an exclusive interview.
“Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory,” said Yermak, who has served as Zelensky’s chief of staff, lead negotiator, and closest aide throughout the full-scale war with Russia.
“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” he told me by telephone from Kyiv. “The constitution prohibits this. Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.”
Just to be clear, your point and argument, are that I am correct, but I am wrong because exactly as I mentioned, Europe could have done better if they bolstered their defences and prepared?
It feels like you’ve just taken my comment as an attack on Europe, but have no real criticisms of my points.
My statement would be less true, not more true in 2023, because the point is, the longer they go without having done so, the more dire the situation becomes.