Andriy Sibikha, deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, said that Kyiv would be ready to discuss the fate of Crimea with Moscow only if Ukrainian troops approached the border of the peninsula. He said this in an interview with the Financial Times .
“If we manage to achieve our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we find ourselves on the administrative border with Crimea, we will be ready to open (diplomatic. – Kommersant ) a page to discuss this issue. This does not mean that we rule out the option of liberating (Crimea. – Kommersant ) by our army, ”said Mr. Sibikha.
According to him, the President of Ukraine has recently been discussing more specifically with aides issues related to the fate of Crimea, as the Armed Forces of Ukraine are getting closer to the start of the counteroffensive.
The publication, citing a March study by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, notes that the vast majority of the population of Ukraine opposes any territorial concessions. Thus, 87% of respondents consider any territorial concessions to achieve peace unacceptable, and only 9% supported concessions if they would bring sustainable peace.
According to the study, 64% of Ukrainians polled want Ukraine to retake all territories, including Crimea, even if there are risks of reduced Western support and protracted armed conflict.
Earlier today, April 5, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak said that his country would be able to seize Crimea in five to seven months. In his opinion, Russia does not have the resources to keep the Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk. In March, the German magazine Bild, citing NATO analysts , reported that the next six months would be critical for the military operation in Ukraine. According to the publication, the main directions of Ukraine’s counter-offensive will be Luhansk and Zaporozhye, and Kyiv also wants to cut off Russia’s land communication with Crimea.
Source : Коммерсантъ
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