Kiev hopes there will be no war with Moscow, but may cut diplomatic ties with its neighbor, its president says
Despite Russia’s recognition on Monday of Donbass’ breakaway regions as sovereign states and an order to deploy troops there, Ukraine doesn’t believe there will be a war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian leader is considering breaking diplomatic relations with Russia and wants more foreign assistance for his country, he said during a joint press conference with the visiting president of Estonia, Alar Karis.
Here is a recap of what Zelensky said:
There will be no war “We believe there will be no war against Ukraine,” Zelensky stressed. “If there is, we’ll declare a state of war.”
Diplomatic ties may be cut “That would be Kiev’s decision,” spokesman Andrey Rudenko said.
There will be no troop withdrawal “terrorist organizations” and stating dismissively that he “didn’t know who they were.” The remark came after a journalist asked whether Ukraine would pull back its troops, as requested by the rebel leaders.
Nord Stream 2 should be stopped “swift sanctions” on Russia in response to its Monday announcement. In particular, he requested that the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, which connects Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea, be banned from pumping fuel. Germany announced on Tuesday that its certification process had been suspended.“political project” that Russia will use against Ukraine. The latter currently receives billions of dollars annually in transit fees for natural gas that is piped through its territory to Western Europe.
Russia committed an act of “judicial aggression” “judicial aggression,” Zelensky said. He claimed it violated the 2015 UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the so-called Minsk Protocol – a roadmap towards reconciliation between Kiev and its rebellious provinces.
Ukraine wants membership commitments and more aid “Russian aggression,” other nations increase their financial and military assistance to his nation. He said the EU and NATO should make it clear to Kiev when it would be allowed to join them. “We hope this year to be a year of definitive decisions on Ukraine’s needs,” he said.“Some diplomats are moving out of Ukraine, while brave leaders of great powers do the opposite and visit to support Ukraine,” he said.