Immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine are among the key aspects of a peace agreement that could be signed as a result of negotiations with Russia to end the war against Ukraine. But strategically, our state wants to have a concrete mechanism that will guarantee its security in the future.
This was stated by Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview for WP Wiadomości.
"Immediate ceasefire and immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine is one of the key aspects of the peace agreement. There is no other way. However, the negotiations are a large-scale process in which not only Russia and Ukraine are involved. Our partners also take an indirect part. Because we don't just have to sign a treaty. We want to develop a concrete mechanism that will guarantee our security in the future," he said.
Mykhailo Podolyak noted that the Ukrainian and Russian delegations are still defending their positions at the talks, so it may take some time to agree on the disputed issues. Unfortunately, the process is not as fast as we would like it to be.
"During this time, we must move closer to a peace agreement. First of all, taking into account the interests of Ukraine, which has suffered enormous destruction by the Russian Federation," he stressed.
The Adviser to the Head of the President's Office is convinced that after the signing of such an agreement, Russia will have no choice but to begin the immediate withdrawal of its armed forces from Ukraine.
"After the signing of the treaty, the Vienna Convention will enter into force for both parties. It makes it clear that a peace treaty can be annulled if the belligerent states do not withdraw their troops from the enemy’s territory. Therefore, any attempts to keep Russian soldiers on Ukrainian land will be legally groundless," he explained.
Mykhailo Podoyak noted that in order to prevent Russia’s another violation of international law and treaties, Ukraine wants to spell out in detail a specific plan for the withdrawal of Russian troops, legally verify it and gain the support of international partners.
"Besides, it is foreign states that will guarantee the fulfillment of conditions and Ukraine’s security in the future. This will be a document that describes in detail the procedure in case of repeated aggression by Russia. This is an innovative formula authored by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which can become the basis for creating a completely new security system in Europe," said the Adviser to the Head of the President's Office.
In his opinion, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown that the entire architecture of European security must be revised. That is why our state wants to end this war with a new coalition, so powerful that it will stop Russia if it wants to attack someone again.
Theoretically, now is the time to speak publicly about all aspects of modern challenges and openly assess the level of modern security contours. Do they cope with these challenges? Can they protect European cities from the barbaric bombings that Ukraine is experiencing today? Will Europe be able to finally get rid of the fear of the Russian Federation? It is obvious that the countries that will be the new guarantors of security will undertake certain commitments. "In the future, on the basis of today's global crisis, a completely new alliance will be created, which will ensure the security of the whole of Europe," Mykhailo Podolyak stressed.
The Adviser to the Head of the President's Office stated that Ukraine would not agree to compromises that could damage its interests in any way. And it is not for the sake of such compromises that Ukrainians are now dying on the battlefields willing to fight to the end.
"We are not Russia. We know how and will continue to have a dialogue with our society. And we always hear our society. Unlike Russia, we can discuss any issues that should have been discussed long ago, but we will not agree to any ultimatum," he said.
Mykhailo Podolyak noted that despite the complexity of this process, Ukraine must hold negotiations with Russia, as no one else wants to fight together with our state. We just have to understand that negotiations during the war are just another frontline.