International experience of armed conflicts and wars in any part of the globe proves that three integral and sequential stages must be completed in order to successfully end the war and establish peace. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a speech at the opening of the Unity Forum in Mariupol.
The Head of State specified that our state, society and every citizen of Ukraine would have to pass all those three stages together.
The first stage requires the end of the hot phase of the conflict and the ceasefire.
“We are confident that we will achieve this in the near future. We really want that. It is a necessary, important, yet only the first step,” he stressed.
The second essential step, according to the President, is the reconciliation of people and the search for consensus.
“This is a very complex and sensitive, neurosurgical process. It's like keeping matches near an open canister of gasoline. One careless move, one wrong statement can derail everything and restore the hot stage of conflict. That is why the role of the media and the rhetoric the media use is crucial in these issues,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, according to the President, the third essential step is reintegration - safe and real, not on paper.
"There are many world examples when the acute stage of the conflict has been terminated and even partial reconciliation has taken place. But the main thing did not happen: the return of territories. They remained in a different status and, unfortunately, did not return to a particular state. Does such an option suit Ukraine? I think not. But the question is rhetorical,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
