No territorial concessions for peace — Ukrainian lawmaker

Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian MP and head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, said this on Espreso TV.

“Territorial concessions in exchange for peace are absolutely impossible. I view this from the perspective of our Constitution and international law because there is no constitutional or legal mechanism that would allow anyone in the country, whether the president, the Verkhovna Rada, or the government, to renounce sovereignty over the entire territory of Ukraine,” Merezhko said.

The Ukrainian MP emphasized that territorial concessions are impossible under the Constitution of Ukraine even by referendum. In other words, the Constitution does not provide for this, and from a political perspective, it is also impossible.

“This is also impossible from an international legal perspective. It’s not only about Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which we are fighting for, but also about the dangerous precedent that would be set if an aggressor could force a victim country to give up part of its territory by force — this would destroy the entire system of international security.

This is dangerous not only for Ukraine but for the future of all humanity and the international legal system. Therefore, we cannot do this from a legal, political, or moral standpoint. It is impossible,” Merezhko concluded.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Donald Trump will decide by Friday, August 8, whether to impose secondary sanctions on Russia.