The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrysky, said in an interview with Sky News that it is unacceptable for Ukraine to "simply give up territory" as part of any peace agreement with Russia.
“It is naturally unacceptable to simply give up territory. What does it even mean to give up our land? That is exactly why we are fighting: to preserve our territory“, the general said. “You know, I don't even allow myself to consider such a scenario“, he added.
According to him, the fighting will eventually end and then a just peace should be established. The Commander-in-Chief is confident that this can only be achieved if hostilities along the current front line cease, followed by negotiations “without any preconditions“.
“In my opinion, a just peace is a peace without preconditions, without the surrender of territory. This means stopping the current line of contact,“ he stressed. "Any other format would be an unfair peace and this is unacceptable for us," Syrsky said.
The general made it clear that the Ukrainian armed forces would continue to fight if diplomatic efforts failed, warning that the fate of all of Europe was at stake.
When asked if Ukraine would be able to continue fighting if U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his support, Syrsky replied: "We are very grateful to our American partners and all our allies who supported us throughout this war with weapons and equipment." He expressed hope that they would continue to provide support and that European partners and allies would be ready to provide whatever is needed, if necessary.