Andriy Yermak said that elections will be held in Ukraine “immediately” after the war ends.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, stated that Russian forces must be withdrawn to their positions by 24 February 2022 before peace negotiations can start.
“Zelensky never spoke of territorial compromises, but rather the necessity to accept internationally recognized borders.” Yermak said that it is true that he had been willing to negotiate based upon the situation at the time of the Russian invasion. “For us Crimea and Donbas are Ukrainian, they’re not negotiable.” We do not want to freeze the war.
Yermak dismissed the demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept the current conditions on the ground: “I don’t care what he says! We cannot create a peace plan under the influence of those that wanted this war.
When asked about allegations of corruption against Ukraine, Yermak acknowledged that the challenge was real while defending the anti-corruption policies of the country:
“We live in a democracy. There is a war of information, and Moscow is trying to damage the image of our government. Remember that the front continues to hold, despite corruption. I would say the latter was a constant among countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. How could we resist if we really were so corrupt?”
Yermak, when asked about the possibility that Donald Trump would win the US presidential election denied the allegation that Ukraine was afraid of his victory. “We are not scared, after almost three year of war, how can we be? The US is our main ally, so their policy is very important to us. We know that the American society is on our side. Zelensky met with US leaders recently. “The conversation with Biden, Kamala Harris and Trump was warm.
He said that they had returned from the United States, “certain that neither candidate will allow Putin to win this war and military support will continue.” Even Trump speaks about the need for justice in peace. The Republican Party is different from the Democratic Party but they both know that we were attacked.
Zelensky wants to ensure that all soldiers and refugees can vote abroad, but currently “resources are needed for the war.”
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