Ukraine should not be forced to give up territory as part of a peace agreement, UN General Assembly President Analena Berbock said, warning that rewarding aggression only fuels further war, DPA reported, BTA reported.
"An act of aggression is condemned, not rewarded. Those who reward aggression will reap more war instead of peace," she told the German media group "Funke" in a commentary published yesterday.
Beerbock, who previously served as Germany's foreign minister, added that admitting a Security Council member who violates the UN's most fundamental rule would set a dangerous precedent, citing the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from parts of Donbas still under Kiev's control. In addition to the illegally annexed Crimea, Russia has declared the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson as part of its territory.
The United States has also put pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions, saying the war cannot be ended any other way. Ukraine has so far refused.
"First there needs to be a ceasefire and a peace agreement, and then we can discuss how it can be implemented," Berbock said of the potential role of the UN in securing a ceasefire. "But for that, Russia must first show a willingness to end the war."