Peace agreement should not leave occupied territories under Russian control and freeze war, - Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic
A peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia should exclude the scenario of a frozen conflict that would leave the occupied territories under Russian control.
This was announced by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic during the "Ukrainian Breakfast" in Davos, Censor.NET reports.
"We should all, with all due respect to the new impetus of the new Trump administration, want to start negotiations and engage. We should not fall into the trap of political naivety... So I fully agree, strengthen Ukraine as much as we can, stick to our principles and don't allow, whenever and whatever peace agreement is concluded, that this agreement will freeze the current occupied territories into some kind of frozen conflict and give them a chance for another opportunity," Plenkovic said.
Speaking about the future of the peace talks, the prime minister stressed that Europe should be part of the process, but that Ukraine should remain the main participant.
"I think Europe should be at the table. Ukraine should be a major player at the negotiating table. And if we find some kind of ceasefire, it should lead to a gradual peaceful integration of Europe. This would be, based on my country's experience 30 years ago, the only solution. Nobody wants more victims, more deaths, more refugees, more destruction. And I think Ukrainians know this, and everyone else knows this, but the plan must be truly complete, not just a first step," Plenković said.
At the same time, he warned of the danger of political forces coming to power in Europe that could support the actual consolidation of the Russian occupation under the guise of "peace".
"Everyone stands for peace, but there is a difference and a nuance: do we stand for peace, which will then impose sanctions on the aggressor and leave the currently illegally occupied and illegally annexed territories under Russian control forever? Or will we adhere to the basic principles of the international order as we have known it for the past 80 years, namely respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect for the existence of our neighbours?" the Croatian Prime Minister said.
As a reminder, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croix called for tougher sanctions against Russia, paying particular attention to the export of liquefied natural gas and fertilisers.
