To change war dynamics, powerful deterrents needed - Ukraine at OSCE

To change the course of the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine needs powerful deterrents that will force Russia to recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Ukrainian people.

This was stated by the acting Permanent Representative of Ukraine to international organizations in Vienna, Viktoria Kuvshynnikova, who spoke at the regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Russia is increasingly relying on terror to break Ukraine's resistance, she said, noting that no matter what "peace ultimatums" Moscow voices, Russia's goals have remained unchanged for decades. As before, Moscow denies Ukraine's right to exist, declares Ukrainians and Russians to be one people, and wants to turn Ukraine into a "failed state," she said.

The Ukrainian diplomat pointed out that the violation of Ukraine's neutrality in 2014, the expansion of the war after attempts to freeze the occupation of Crimea, the failure of numerous truces between 2014 and 2022, the escalation of violence, and the growing number of civilian casualties must be thoruhgly taken into account today before putting forward new ideas for ending the war.

She believes this shows there can be no compromises on the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty, otherwise, it will only serve as an invitation to future attacks – against Ukraine and other countries, Kuvshynnikova stressed.

The diplomat added that all this also indicates that "to change the course of the war, powerful deterrence tools are needed, which will force Russia to recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Ukrainian people." Only this will create the right conditions for restoring peace and stability in Europe.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha previously stated that in the issue of achieving a sustainable, just and comprehensive peace, Ukraine supports the concept and approach of "peace through strength."

Photo: MFA