Peace in 24 hours: end of illusion

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that if peace in Ukraine becomes unattainable, the United States may pull out of the peace process.

Meanwhile, another U.S. representative, Steve Witkoff, admitted in a conversation with the Wall Street Journal that during negotiations with Putin, the Russian leader was obsessed with Ukrainian territories. Witkoff even suggested that Kyiv might cede some regions if they are predominantly Russian-speaking. According to him, Russia could "acquire" parts of these regions.

Clearly, with such approaches, talking about peace is impossible. Ukraine will never give up its territories. Firstly, we do not have "Russian-speaking regions" in the sense that Moscow implies. Secondly, even in areas where many people speak Russian, we must protect the rights of indigenous peoples — in particular, the Crimean Tatars, for whom Crimea is the only homeland. A homeland where Russia has repeatedly committed genocide against them and continues to do so now.

"There is currently no real platform for negotiations — and this is not Ukraine's fault. We have expressed our readiness for a ceasefire. But Russia — through Lavrov and others — continues to demand the removal of the "causes" of the war. And these "causes" are Moscow's attempt to destroy Ukraine and return Europe to the era of the Iron Curtain."

It seems that the United States may step away from the peace process, as they see no path for a real compromise. If this happens, the main burden of deterring Russia will fall on the shoulders of the European Union. I have spoken about this repeatedly — our ties with the EU are critically important.

Do we want to sever relations with the United States? Of course not. US support remains extremely important to us, especially in the field of armaments. It is crucial that the United States at least continues to sell weapons to Ukraine, if Ukraine and EU countries are willing to purchase them. In the future, the US should return to fully supporting Ukraine. Because Russia is the real, not imaginary, threat — to peace, democracy, and the entire civilized world.

We must not just declare, but implement European standards: the rule of law, freedom of speech, democracy. And not just for EU membership, but because this is the only way to keep Ukraine strong, united, and a part of European civilization.

Now is the time to stop fighting among ourselves and start uniting. To integrate. To protect both Ukraine and Europe — together.

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About the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.