A Ukrainian MP has given what he called a “polite” response to a suggestion by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger that Ukraine should be prepared to cede some territory to Moscow in order to reach a peace agreement.
“I think Mr Kissinger is still alive in the 20th century and we are in the 21st century and we will not give up an inch of our territory,” Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told CNBC on Wednesday.
“That would be the worst sign for Putin,” he added.
“We should stop Putin now and not let him go further,” Goncharenko said, adding that he believed that the best way to make peace was to bring Ukraine into the European Union as soon as possible.
CNBC has contacted Kissinger representatives to respond to criticism of their comments.
Former US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Kissinger caused a stir earlier this week when he suggested that Ukraine should be prepared to cede some territory to Russia in order to reach a peace agreement with Moscow. .
Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Monday, Kissinger said that “ideally, the dividing line should return to the status quo ante,” a return to the pre-war state of affairs, and suggested who thought that Russia should be allowed to detain Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Henry Kissinger speaks during a 2007 interview in Washington.
Brooks Kraft | Corbis Historic | Getty Images
Kissinger, who served under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford, said that “pursuing war beyond this point would not be about Ukraine’s freedom … but about a new war against it.” Russia “.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding land to Russia as part of an agreement, especially in reference to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are focusing. currently in the dam.
However, it is unclear whether Kyiv will allow Crimea to remain in Russian hands.
Ukraine’s foreign minister has added to the criticism of Kissinger’s suggestion. “I respect Henry Kissinger, but I am grateful that he does not hold any official position in the US administration, which has its own opinion, but we totally disagree with her,” Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, told CNBC on Wednesday. Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“This is not something we will do,” he added.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte commented on the consequences of Kissinger and told CNBC on Wednesday that although “it’s almost impossible to say you don’t agree with Henry Kissinger … I’m afraid I have to watch TV now. to declare officially that I do not agree with Henry Kissinger. if that is the statement he makes. “
“For us, territorial integrity, the sovereignty of Ukraine is above all and it is up to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, and his team to decide how they will carry out the peace negotiations that we hope will begin. day, “he said. said CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum.