Peace with Russia can be achieved only by force - Ambassador Markarova

Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said this in an interview with MSNBC, NV reports.

Markarova answered the host's question about whether it was time to start ceasefire talks, given the powerful attacks by Russia and media reports about dictator Vladimir Putin's readiness to negotiate. She also emphasized that there are some conversations between the countries, which, in her opinion, is evidenced by the large exchange of prisoners.

"Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin's words and actions are the best answer to some people's hopes that he is ready to talk. He is ready to kill. He kills many people every day. And we have seen this before. We saw it in 2014 and 2015, when Ukraine was ready to negotiate and did everything possible - and sometimes impossible - to return illegally seized territories through diplomatic efforts. And Putin used this time to prepare and accumulate all these missiles for an attack," said the Ambassador.

She assured that Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else, but they know that peace with Russia can only be achieved by force. Markarova emphasized that Ukraine is fighting not only for its territories, but also for security and democracy in Europe.

• On December 23, the New York Times reported that Putin was not against negotiations, but was not ready to give up the occupied territories of Ukraine.
• Also, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that along with military support for Ukraine, a political solution to end the war should be sought.
• Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he did not see any fundamental steps toward peace from Russia.