Ukraine refuses to negotiate with Russia before complete evacuation of forces
Volodymyr Zelensky
The Ukrainian government made it clear on Tuesday once again that it will not negotiate with Kremlin until the Russian military has left Ukrainian territory including Crimea. President Volodymyr Zelensky added that Ukraine will continue its fight even if it is "stabbed in the back by its allies”.
"Once again - the restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the U.N. Charter, compensation for all damages caused by the war, punishment of every war criminal, and guarantees that this will not happen again. These are completely understandable conditions," Zelensky said in his address.
There have been certain reports which claimed that Ukraine can take a softer stance when it comes to negotiations with Russia after a prolonged discussion with the United States. The reports also suggested that it can be the result of doubts regarding US support for Ukraine after the mid-term elections.
According to Reuters, Zelensky’s comments were made in relation to the reports and he went on to say that "we always received insane Russian responses with new terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail".
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Ukraine has hardened its stance even more since the annexation of four regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – following referendums that were considered to be “sham” by western countries. Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak supported the stance as he told Italy's La Repubblica newspaper that "negotiating with Putin would mean giving up, and we would never give him this gift".
In the past few months, Ukraine has made a steady comeback in various regions as resistance forces have successfully recaptured some parts. The conflict has intensified considerably in Kherson where Russia has already ordered evacuations as missile strikes have gone up in key areas.