Ukraine denies territorial concessions amid ongoing conflict

The Financial Times reports a visible change in the talks regarding the end of the war in Ukraine and even a willingness for territorial concessions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine denies this and states that "there can be no compromise on Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity."

The "Financial Times" reports on the change regarding the talks about ending the war in Ukraine. According to the portal, it was visible during the UN General Assembly session in New York when Ukrainian officials showed greater openness to new solutions in this regard.

So far, not only diplomats from Ukraine but also politicians from other countries supporting it against the invasion have emphasised that the end of the war can only happen on the principle of returning the territories occupied by Russia under Ukraine's control.

However, "FT" conveys that the issue of a potential ceasefire, leaving the currently occupied territories under Russian control, has begun to be raised, for which Ukraine would receive security guarantees. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrij Sybiha, reportedly discussed potential conflict resolution scenarios in a "more pragmatic" way.

However, as reported by "Ukrainian Truth," the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies that Sybiha had talked with his Western counterparts about a peace agreement that would involve territorial concessions in exchange for security guarantees.

The Ministry spokesman, quoted by the portal, conveyed that "there were any proposals, negotiations, or hints at any territorial compromises. On the contrary, the minister's position is firm, and he emphasised its key points behind closed doors. There cannot be any compromises on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

A few days ago, "The Washington Post" similarly reported that winter could significantly impact Ukrainians' stance on territorial concessions to Russia.

A senior Ukrainian official, wishing to remain anonymous, told the newspaper: "My biggest fear is that people go through this kind of winter, there will be zero way to find consensus among the population."

In contrast, the Spanish "El Pais" assessed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to the USA five weeks before the presidential elections in that country, preparing for potential peace negotiations with Russia.

"After some 2½ years of war, with little prospect of a complete victory on the horizon and a string of battlefield setbacks in recent months, people are reaching their limit," the newspaper wrote, simultaneously emphasising that apart from the increasing losses, external pressure on starting negotiations is also growing, during which Kyiv may be forced into "painful concessions".