On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lambasted former United States (US) Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for suggesting that Ukraine should give up territory to Russia for peace to survive.
In a speech on Wednesday, Zelensky stated that Kissinger comes from “the deep past” to recommend such advice so that Russia is not isolated from Europe despite knowing that “tens of thousands of Ukrainians” have died due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It seems that Mr. Kissinger’s calendar is not 2022, but 1938, and he thought he was talking to an audience, not in Davos, but in Munich of that time,” he added, in a possible reference to the 1938 Munich Agreement between Britain, France, Italy, and Germany that allowed Nazi Germany to annex territory in western Czechoslovakia. Furthermore, Zelensky talked about Kissinger’s family fleeing Nazi Germany, underlining that “nobody heard from him then that it was necessary to adapt to the Nazis instead of fleeing them or fighting them.”
Kissinger in Davos said that #Ukraine should cede part of its territory in exchange for peace.
— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) May 24, 2022
It's a pity that the former US Secretary of State believes that giving up on part of the sovereign territory is a way to peace for any country! Truly shameful!
At the World Economic Forum 9WEF) in Davos earlier this week, Kissinger said that the Ukraine war would permanently restructure the world order. He opined that Ukraine should be a “neutral kind of state” that acts as a bridge between Europe and Russia, instead of as a frontier. “We are facing a situation now where Russia could alienate itself completely from Europe and seek a permanent alliance elsewhere,” he added. Furthermore, Kissinger said that the two sides should start negotiations within the next two months and the “dividing line should return to status quo ante” before it turns into a full-fledged war against Moscow.
Following Kissinger’s remarks, Zelensky declared in a virtual speech at the WEF on Wednesday that Ukraine will fight until it regains all its territories, asking the Western countries to help Ukraine with the “necessary defence and financial support.” He also remarked that the beginning of the peace process depends on Putin alone, stressing that Moscow is delaying the process as it has continued to do since the Minsk Agreement. “Therefore, we are against any artificial agreements. […] Without serious powerful partners, there is nothing to talk about,” he said. He noted that negotiations can only take place if Russia moves their troops to their positions before February 24.
As easily as Mr. #Kissinger proposes to give 🇷🇺 part of 🇺🇦 to stop the war, he would allow to take Poland or Lithuania away. It's good that Ukrainians in the trenches do not have time for listening to “Davos panickers". They’re a little bit busy defending Freedom and Democracy. pic.twitter.com/2zraPDummx
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) May 24, 2022
Additionally, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the work done by the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in facilitating the evacuation of civilians from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Regarding the Western countries struggling to come to a consensus about the next package of sanctions against Russia, Zelensky said that both Ukraine and the West need “self-confidence and unity,” adding that they should “not be afraid” of standing up against Moscow as their citizens are not a part of the war.
Moreover, the Ukrainian President slammed an editorial in The New York Times that opined that it is not “realistic” for Kyiv to win against Moscow, as Russian President Vladimir Putin had “too much personal prestige” invested in the war to back down now. “If the conflict does lead to real negotiations, it will be Ukrainian leaders who will have to make the painful territorial decisions that any compromise will demand. […] Confronting this reality may be painful, but it is not appeasement. This is what governments are duty-bound to do, not chase after an illusory ‘win,’” the Times’ editorial board stated last week. In response, President Zelensky said, “‘Great geopoliticians’ are always unwilling to see ordinary people. […] Millions of those who actually live in the territory they propose to exchange for the illusion of peace.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 26 May 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 26, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/rE0lcSuRxb
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/QCCDhm8rHj
Meanwhile, for the first time since the war began, Putin reportedly visited injured Russian troops at the Mandryka military hospital in Moscow, and hailed them as “heroes.” He has also started a fast-track process for the people to gain Russian citizenship within three months of their application in the Russia-controlled regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. On March 25, Moscow announced that 1,351 soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded in the invasion, and did not release new figures since. However, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, almost 30,000 Russian armed personnel have died. Moscow has continued to launch missiles in the eastern region of Ukraine. It has also fired on civilian infrastructure in Ternov and Cherkasy Tyshky regions.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Moscow is preparing to launch an attack toward Severodonetsk on both ground and air. The British Defence Ministry claimed that the Russian air force has been heavily involved in tactical failures near Izyum.