Ukraine responds to Saxony premier's statement on territorial concessions to Russia

Spokesman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Nikolenko has said that the ministry responded to the Prime Minister of the German state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, who offered to cede territories to Ukraine for the sake of peace.

"If Ukraine accepts the temporary loss of territory, Russian troops will become closer to Germany and Saxony. By the way, Russian leader Vladimir Putin knows this region well during his service near Dresden,” Censor.NET informs citing Nikolenko.

“Territorial concessions will certainly lead to bigger Russian aggression, which will undoubtedly extend beyond the borders of Ukraine. Peace in Europe is based on Moscow’s defeat. We urge the German politician to face the truth: first, Mrs. Chancellor Angela Merkel, and later Chancellor Olaf Scholz, made enormous political efforts to convince Putin to stop the war. It didn't help. Any other concessions will not help either. His goal is the destruction of Ukraine and the destabilisation of entire Europe," he stressed.

Nikolenko noted that broader support for Ukraine may change Germany's policy towards Russia.

"We are very grateful that the German federal government shares this approach," the spokesman said.

Earlier, Kretschmer said that for a ceasefire, Ukraine may have to admit that the territories occupied by the Russian Federation are "temporarily" inaccessible to it.