[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

I heard on the news just now Putin is offering to stop the invasion immediately if the Ukrainian govt will pledge never to seek NATO membership and to accept the loss of Crimea and Donbas.

Christ, take the deal, it's giving up something you've already lost to avoid losing everything, which is a certainty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj has shown himself willing to hold talks on the status of the separatist areas in the east of the country and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea annexed by Russia. Speaking to U.S. broadcaster ABC on Monday evening (local time), Selenskyj at the same time made clear that he would not respond to demands from Moscow to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed "people's republics" as well as Russian rule over Crimea. "I am ready for dialogue. But we are not ready for surrender."
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

[...] the Ukrainian president said, "We can discuss and find a compromise on how these territories can continue." He said it is important to pay attention to how the people there who want to be part of Ukraine are doing. It is a much more complicated issue than just recognition, he said. "This is another ultimatum, and we do not recognize ultimatums."
Selenskyj again called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for direct negotiations. "What President Putin needs to do is to start a conversation, a dialogue, instead of continuing to live in an information bubble without oxygen." Selensky conceded that Russia has air sovereignty over Ukraine. He again called for a no-fly zone. The point, he said, was to prevent missile strikes on civilian facilities.
With regard to NATO, Selensky expressed disappointment. He said the alliance is not ready to accept Ukraine as a member. "The alliance is afraid of controversial issues and a confrontation with Russia." He hinted at refraining from joining. Ukraine is not a country on its knees begging for anything, he said. Since a constitutional amendment in 2019, NATO accession has been the former Soviet republic's stated goal.
Die Welt


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