The head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Andri Yermak, has insisted that negotiations with Russia will in any case be the last step certifying peace, as he considers that other conditions must be fulfilled first.
«Peace is not simply the absence of fighting. Therefore, the view of some Western politicians that sitting at the negotiating table is the first thing that must happen before peace reigns in Ukraine is a fundamental mistake,» Yermak has defended in an opinion column for ‘The Economist’.
According to Yermak, it is necessary for Western countries to push for mechanisms to «deter Russian aggressors, punish them and force them to comply with their obligations under international law.»
«Any negotiations will allow Russia to use diplomacy as a weapon, giving itself a breathing space to prepare for the next act of aggression,» the head of the Ukrainian presidential office has warned.
Therefore, Yermak stressed that before sitting down to negotiate peace, certain conditions must be met, such as nuclear, environmental and food safety, limiting Russia’s income from the sale of its energy, strengthening Ukrainian defense, ensuring justice and releasing prisoners.
