Ukraine shouldn’t expect return to pre-war borders, Zaluzhnyi says

Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reports the information.

On Thursday, May 22, Valerii Zaluzhnyi explained why Ukraine should not expect to return to the 1991 or 2022 borders during the forum on arms and military equipment exports, Exporting Security: Ukrainian Technological Weapons in the World.

“I hope there are no longer people in this room who still believe in some miracle, some white swan that will bring peace to Ukraine, restore the 1991 or 2022 borders, and after that, there will be great happiness in Ukraine. In my personal opinion, as long as Russia has the resources, forces, and means to strike our territory and attempt limited offensive actions,” said the ambassador.

He is convinced that victory requires completely depriving Russia of the ability to wage war by destroying its military-economic potential.

“In our current conditions, which for us mean a huge shortage of manpower and a catastrophic economic situation, we can only talk about a high-tech war of survival that uses a minimum of human resources and economic means to achieve the greatest benefit. Ukraine is incapable of any other kind of war given its demographics and economy, and it shouldn’t even consider it,” Zaluzhnyi emphasized.

• On April 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in future negotiations with Russia, Ukraine will not recognize the occupied territories as Russian and will not agree to a reduction in the size of its army.
• At the beginning of May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia will not allow Ukraine’s borders to be restored to their 1991 level, because, in his opinion, Kyiv aims to destroy everything Russian.