Commander of AFU Joint Forces speaks on his vision of ending war, security guarantees for Ukraine

Nayev shared his opinions in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. 

According to the commander, first of all, Ukraine needs to define what it wants to see in the concept of "ending the war in Ukraine." 

"Can a temporary cessation of hostilities be the end of the war? Is the fulfillment of the enemy's conditions for territorial concessions for the sake of ending hostilities the end of the war? Certainly, the end of the war must include preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as creation of conditions to prevent a further repetition of aggression by the enemy," Nayev said. 

The lieutenant general added that for him, the end of the war would be Russia’s fulfillment of the conditions contained in the "peace formula" proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In addition, Russia must realize that Ukrainians cannot be defeated. 

"We never give up our own, and the enemy must remember this forever. The war will end not only when the last Russian soldier leaves our territory, but when the enemy realizes that people who want to live in a free state cannot be defeated," Nayev emphasized. 

He also called joining NATO the only guarantee of Ukraine's security in the future.  

"The Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994, showed that any international agreement can be violated. Therefore, the only guarantee of deterrence against Russian aggression in the future is Ukraine's accession to NATO, as well as the constant strengthening of its own Armed Forces. And we should never forget the saying "If you want peace, prepare for war.” In other words, only a strong and professional army can guarantee peace and tranquility to our country," Nayev emphasized. 

• On March 20, Serhiy Nayev said that Russia had no forces and means to conduct an offensive in areas other than those in Luhansk and Donetsk regions.