For months, officials from Kiev assured that the country would not cede territory occupied by Russia during the war. But now, with Republican Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election and his championed plan for accelerated talks to end the conflict, Ukraine is placing as much importance on obtaining security guarantees as it does on where the potential demarcation line, comment in the editorial office of the American newspaper The New York Times, quoted by Focus.
Amid continuing losses by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the frontline in the east of the country, officials from Kiev reveal that defending Ukraine's interests in potential negotiations will depend less on borders than are likely to be determined by hostilities, but from what guarantees exist for compliance with the ceasefire regime.
Another high-ranking Ukrainian official commented on the condition of anonymity in order to be more open about sensitive topics: "The territorial issue is extremely important, but this is still the second issue. The first issue is security guarantees."
Sergey Kostenko, a representative of the Ukrainian authorities, also notes that Ukraine establishes its borders based on the 1991 Declaration of Independence. Since then, Russia has gained control of about 20% of Ukraine's territory, but Kiev will not formally relinquish its claim to any territory under Russian occupation.
"This seems to be the approach Ukraine is taking to justify any possible deal where Russia retains control of Ukrainian land," observers comment. In October, President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing the ceasefire, said: "Everyone understands that regardless of the path we take, legally, no one will recognize the occupied territories as belonging to other countries."