'We Are Not The Obstacle To Peace'

'We will never recognise any part of territories occupied by the Russians.'

Ukraine is seeking a just, comprehensive and long-lasting peace plan and is ready to negotiate in this regard under the Donald Trump administration, the country's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in Delhi on Tuesday.

However, he added that the country wants "no compromise at the cost of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty."

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue multilateral conference, Sybiha said Kyiv has supported the US proposal for a ceasefire and is waiting to hear what the Russians say.

"We have shared this position with our American friends and European allies. There should be nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine. Nothing about Europe, without Europe," Sybiha said.

"There will be no restriction to our military capacities, and no third country has the right to block our will to participate in any union, or alliances," he said.

The most potent barrier to peace at the moment is how a negotiated retreat of Russian forces can be ensured from Ukraine's land.

"We will never recognise any part of territories occupied by the Russians," Sybiha said.

He pointed out that currently a fifth of the country remains under Russia.

With already three years into the Russia-Ukraine war, both sides have endured heavy losses.

Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers with over 390,000 being wounded and many Ukrainian cities have been flattened.

Support for US position

Sybiha also recognised Trump's role in trying to end the conflict.

"Our approach is that now is the time for a strong diplomacy. We really believe that with the leadership of President Trump, we can achieve a just, long lasting, peace for Ukraine," he said.

The comments come in the wake of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House last month.

The meeting was intended to seal a rare earth minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine as a way to pay back America for the funds it had provided to Ukraine.

This would also act as a security guarantee against any further Russian aggression since US investments and resources would be in Ukraine.

The meeting had devolved into a heated exchange with Trump pressuring Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.

During the parleys, US Vice-President J D Vance accused Zelenskyy of being 'disrespectful', criticising his approach during the discussions.

Sybiha attempted to put the differences to rest.

"We are not the obstacle to achieving peace. Let us see what will be the response from the Russian side to settle the ceasefire," Sybiha said.

Ukraine, he said, had agreed to a temporary ceasefire to shake off the perception that the war is becoming another frozen conflict.

Ukraine is counting on the support of the international community because it is about the principle of territorial sovereignty as outlined under the charter of the United Nations and about the restoration of world order based on the rule of law, he added.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com