A ceasefire without Russia withdrawing its troops from the occupied territories will give it time to strengthen its capabilities and resume attacks on Ukraine, Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Euronews.
"Many countries have proposed the idea of a ceasefire, but no one thinks about what it means. Some 25% of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian control, which means buying time for Russia to strengthen its capabilities and resume its attacks on Ukraine," Bodnar said.
Representatives of several countries, including Turkey and Hungary, which maintain diplomatic relations with Russia, have called on Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a ceasefire and start peace talks.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that, as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukrainian troops must leave Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, which was rejected by Kyiv and its partners.
Bondar said that Ukraine seeks to end the war and achieve peace in only one way: with the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territories and in compliance with international law.
Ending Russian occupation lies only in the protection of Ukraine's territorial integrity within the framework of international law, the ambassador said, adding: "Any other proposal should not be taken into account, and that is why we rejected (Russia's proposal)."
Bodnar brought up that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ceasefire proposals, which he voiced during his visit to Kyiv in July, "did not contain any details."
The ambassador also added that Ukraine wants to join NATO only to gain security and lasting peace, with no intention of provoking Russia or making geopolitical changes.
NATO is the only institution that can meet the security needs of the modern world, at least on paper, according to Bodnar.
If Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, it will be a natural border between other members of the alliance and Russia, he said.
Nate Ostiller
