Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia will inevitably lead to future Russian aggression, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said on Dec. 27.
Nikolenko was responding to a comment from German lawmaker Michael Kretschmer, the head of the state of Saxony, who suggested that the Ukrainian government temporarily give up territory in exchange for a ceasefire with Russia.
Kretschmer also said that Germany needs a "U-turn" in its policy toward Russia.
"Russia is our neighbor. A dangerous, unpredictable neighbor. The idea of weakening Russia militarily, politically and economically so that it can no longer pose a threat to us is an attitude that dates back to the 19th century. It lays the foundation for further conflicts," he said.
Kretschmer has previously been criticized for his comments on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, such as when he publicly called for the war to become a "frozen conflict" in August 2022.
Ukrainian society is broadly against the idea of territorial concessions in exchange for peace. A poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Dec. 14 found that 74% of respondents said they were opposed to any kind of territorial concessions.
U.S. officials have also denied that they would seek to pressure Ukraine into a peace deal on terms unfavorable to Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent
(Updated: )
