KYIV (Reuters) – Kyiv’s delegation at a meeting with allies in London this week reaffirmed the principles on which talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine are based, including never recognising any part of Ukrainian territory as Russian, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told a briefing that the Ukrainian delegation had also ruled out allowing any country to have a veto on what alliances Ukraine can make and would not let restrictions be imposed on its armed forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that the talks between Ukrainian and Western officials in London on Wednesday had not been “easy” but were “constructive.”
“No third country has the right to veto Ukraine’s choice of alliances and partnerships,” Tykhyi said.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to join NATO and sees membership as a guarantee against any aggressive action by Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow says Ukraine must not join NATO and has called for Ukraine to be demilitarised.
Zelenskiy reiterated this week that Ukraine would not recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. He was criticised the next day by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking a quick end to the war in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Writing by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Alison Williams and Timothy Heritage)
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