There will be no peace talks while Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory – Ukraine's Security Council chief

Saturday, 21 October 2023, 16:55

Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, has once again stressed that Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia while Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian lands.

Source: Danilov, in an interview with Kyodo News, a Japanese media outlet

Quote from Danilov: "There are no negotiations worth having as long as Russia continues to occupy (Ukrainian) territory, including Crimea."

Details: Danilov said he was certain that the "situation will fundamentally change" once F-16 fighter jets arrive from the West but admitted it was difficult to predict how long it would take to regain all of Ukraine’s territory.

Though Ukraine has entered an informal agreement not to use weapons supplied by the West in attacks on the Russian mainland, Danilov stated that facilities around Moscow could become targets for arms manufactured in Ukraine.

"He dispelled concerns that international attention and support would wane amid the escalating situation between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Middle East", Kyodo News reported. Danilov said: "There has been no decrease in communication with the United States and Europe. Cooperation continues, and we get help every day."

Danilov also commented on the strengthening ties between Russia and China, saying that Moscow has "lost its independence and now has to rely on countries like China, North Korea and Iran". He "brushed off" the likelihood of a ceasefire brokered by Beijing.

Danilov also said that a "modern Hitler by the name of Putin killed 500 of our children."

Background:

On 18 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine was supposedly thinking about negotiations with Russia.
Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said on Sunday, 10 September, that peace talks with Russia are not currently available because "it takes two to tango", but if Russian President Vladimir Putin shows interest, Ukrainians will join in.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said now is a "bad moment" for negotiations with Russia, as the counteroffensive continues and Russia sees Ukraine's difficulties on the battlefield. In his opinion, Putin seeks to exhaust Ukraine, but instead, he "will lose in the long war."

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