‘Peace sought by Ukraine must guarantee its integrity, sovereignty’: Top official

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - A top Ukrainian official on Sunday said that the peace sought by his country must guarantee its survival, integrity and sovereignty.

“The peace that Ukraine seeks must guarantee its survival, integrity, sovereignty and the possibility of development. It should prevent the recurrence of aggression. Together, we have created a coherent framework for achieving such peace,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said on Telegram.

His comments came as a fourth meeting of national security advisers was held on the peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Yermak said that they have to decide on further actions, particularly with regard to the format of the "peace summit" in implementing Zelenskyy's peace proposal.

“We need a platform that captures the specific parts of our comprehensive plan. In order to move forward, it is necessary to agree on the format of the Peace Foundation Summit. I hope we will be able to find an acceptable option,” Yermak said.

Zelenskyy's formula, which consists of 10 conditions, was laid out at the 2022 G-20 summit held in Indonesia, with its final step being signing a peace accord. It also focuses on issues such as nuclear safety and food and energy security.

Expressing that the increasing involvement of countries of the Global South in their work shows an understanding that the Russia-Ukraine war is a “challenge for all of humanity,” Yermak said a cease-fire will not end the conflict but rather give Moscow time to “accumulate strength.”

“This is definitely not the way to peace. Russians do not want peace. They want dominance. So, the choice is simple: either we lose and disappear - or we win and live on. And we fight,” he added.

Yermak went on to say that, since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Ukraine re-took control of more than 50% of its territory under Russian control, while also “destroying a fifth of the potential” of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet by using “a modest naval force.”

“If international law and territorial integrity of Ukraine are not restored, then any aggressor elsewhere in the world will be able to grab a piece of any country tomorrow and hold fake elections there,” he said.