Ukraine’s ‘very existence under threat’ unless peace talks happen | World | News
Ukraine faces an imminent existential threat if peace talks do not begin soon, the head of the country’s military intelligence has warned.
Kyrylo Budanov was asked how much time Ukraine has left as the war with Russia approaches the three-year mark with no end in sight.
He responded: “If serious negotiations don’t happen by the summer, very dangerous processes could begin, threatening Ukraine’s very existence.”
An anonymous Ukrainian MP told Ukrainska Pravda that Mr Budanov attended a closed-door meeting in parliament, where he called for urgent peace negotiations.
The meeting was scheduled to discuss “the true state of affairs in the war”, of which there have been roughly 500,000 casualties, according to US estimates.
A recent survey by political sociology company SOCIS found 50.6% of Ukrainians backed an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations.
Just under 20% wanted to stop the fighting on the front line, 14% said the war should carry on until Ukraine‘s 1991 borders were restored, and 10% wanted the pre-war borders back.
The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also called for urgent talks to define Europe’s role in Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations.
Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a “negotiating platform” and reiterated his plea for Ukraine to become a member of the EU.
The Ukrainian president said: “Russia‘s war is against Ukraine, against Europe, against the whole world, but above all, the war is waged on our land. It is impossible to exclude Ukraine from any negotiating platform.
“Either this negotiating platform will have no real results, or it will have only political results. And such results will have nothing to do with security or the end of the war.
“I would really like the European voice to be there as well. It is important for us because we will be members of the European Union.
“But I can’t say clearly today what the structure of the negotiation process will be. Because we do not have a joint plan yet.”
It comes after new US president Donald Trump claimed he could end the protracted conflict in just 100 days, the alleged plan for which has been leaked.
Ukrainian outlet Strana claimed to have the details of the plan, which has been discussed within the country’s “political and diplomatic circles”.
It includes a phone call with Vladimir Putin and a meeting with both him and Mr Zelensky to finalise a ceasefire.
