Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, has welcomed the show of unity at the Ukraine summit in Washington, while stressing that territorial concessions to Russia are not an option for Kiev.
“The images from Washington yesterday were perfect.
“They show that the democratic world is standing together,” Makeiev told German broadcaster ZDF’s Morgenmagasin on Tuesday.
Asked about the possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of a peace settlement, Makeiev dismissed the idea as unthinkable.
“This is not just about territory. It’s not a computer game where you can simply hand over a piece of territory and keep playing with a mouse click.
“Millions and millions of Ukrainians live there,” he said.
His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as several key European leaders, at the White House on Monday.
Trump and Zelensky expressed hopes the cordial talks would pave the way for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump also said the U.S. would help European allies provide security for Ukraine in the event a peace deal to end Russia’s war there is signed.
The ambassador said all issues would have to be discussed in negotiations but voiced scepticism about Moscow’s intentions.
“We’ll see whether Putin is prepared to engage, or whether he once again tries to play for time.
“We know the Russians begin with working groups, committees and long discussions,” Makeiev added.
At the same time, Russia continued to attack us daily with bombs and missiles, as has been reported.
(dpa/NAN)
