ALBAWABA - "I want to be clear -- Russia has to withdraw from every square meter of Ukrainian territory. There should be no misinterpretation of what the word withdrawal implies," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during a virtual session with counterparts as part of the second U.S.-led Summit for Democracy.
President Joe Biden will officially start off the summit on Wednesday as a component of his work to mobilize against Russia as well as China's developing advances.
"In this fight, we are defending the entire democratic world," Kuleba stated.
China has proposed a ceasefire, which is supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected it as a way to freeze Moscow's gains from the 13-month-old invasion.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has also maintained his steadfast stance on Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea, the peninsula that Russia seized and declared its annexe in 2014.
"No other nation wants peace more than Ukraine. But peace at any cost is an illusion. For peace to be a lasting one, it needs to be just," Kuleba said.
"The cessation of Russia's aggression and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity are essential conditions for peace.
"Ill-advised concessions to the aggressor would only encourage Russia to intensify its attacks on democracy, giving it time to rebuild its military capabilities and resume the armed offensive against Ukraine."
The session was led by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who supported the proposals from Ukraine and reiterated his concern about any settlement that would merely permit Russian forces to regroup.
Blinken stated, "This war can of course end tomorrow if President Putin so chose by withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine."
Written By Salam Bustanji
