Understanding the Current Issues in Ukraine
1. UKRAINE’S POSITION ON NEGOTIATIONS TO END THE WAR
During the Munich Security Conference and in an interview with NBC News, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine’s position on possible negotiations to end the war.
● Ukraine adheres to the principle of “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” and will never agree to agreements concluded behind its back.
● In addition to Ukraine and the United States, Europe should be represented at the upcoming talks, as the security and future of not only Ukraine but the whole of Europe are at stake.
● The basis of any security guarantees for Ukraine should be NATO membership or conditions that will allow Ukraine to defend itself against repeated aggression.
● Defeating Russia on the battlefield will cost a lot of human lives, so Ukraine is ready to regain its territories through diplomacy.
● Only a consolidated diplomatic position of Ukraine, the United States and Europe, and strong support for Ukraine, can force Russia to end the war.
2. WAYS TO BRING PEACE CLOSER
At the Group of Seven ministerial meeting in Munich, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke about solutions that could bring peace closer.
● In order to force Moscow to engage in diplomacy, the allies must combine economic and military pressure on Russia.
● Economic measures include tighter sanctions, full use of frozen Russian assets, lower oil prices, etc.
● Military pressure on Russia implies the military strengthening of Ukraine, mainly through the development of the Ukrainian defence industry.
● In the future, any diplomatic solution must be backed by a package of security guarantees that will prevent Russia’s repeated aggression.
● This package could include the deployment of military contingents, air patrols of Ukraine’s skies, increased US and allied presence in the Black Sea, etc.
● For security assurances to be effective, the United States must join in.
3. UKRAINE’S LOSSES IN THE WAR
In an interview with NBC News, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced Ukraine’s losses during the full-scale war.
● Ukraine’s losses amount to 46,000 killed soldiers. Tens of thousands are currently missing or in captivity.
● Another 380,000 soldiers were wounded. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces Medical Forces, 70% of wounded and injured soldiers return to service after treatment.
● The number of civilian casualties is currently unknown, in part due to the lack of access to the occupied territories.
● According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia’s losses amount to more than 858,000 killed and wounded.
● Russia’s losses during the fighting in the Kursk region exceeded 48,000 people, of whom about 20,000 were killed.
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