The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiga, has called on his colleagues from the European Union to strengthen diplomatic and political support for Ukraine ahead of the planned summit between the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation in Alaska. Sybiga joined an emergency online meeting of EU foreign ministers, where he emphasized the need for transatlantic unity to counter threats from Russia.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Threat of a New Division of Spheres of Influence
The Minister stressed that the lack of coordination and decisive action from the West only adds confidence to the Kremlin. According to Sybiga, the Russian president aims to use the upcoming meeting with Donald Trump to return to a policy of dividing spheres of influence, similar to the events of Munich and Yalta in the last century. He warned that Putin is not interested in peace but is merely trying to postpone new sanctions that Washington may impose for prolonging the conflict.
“Putin dreams of turning this meeting (with Trump in Alaska – ed.) into Munich-2 and a second Yalta. To return to spheres of influence and gray zones. Perhaps even to his own Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,” emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Sybiga also stated that Russia is increasing its intelligence activity regarding Ukrainian energy infrastructure, preparing for a new wave of attacks ahead of winter. He stressed that the Kremlin seeks to occupy all of Ukraine’s territory and use blackmail against Europe and the world.
Demands for Security Guarantees and Territorial Integrity
The Ukrainian diplomat emphasized that any peace negotiations must begin with a complete ceasefire along the entire line of confrontation. Only a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the USA, and Europe can lead to a just peace and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. He underscored that peace must be based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and all attempts to impose solutions by force will be rejected by Ukrainian society.
Sybiga called for increasing sanctions pressure on Russia by adopting the 19th package of restrictions, as well as opening negotiation clusters with Ukraine for further Euro-integration. He specifically noted that progress in this direction is currently blocked due to Hungary’s position and emphasized the importance of maintaining unity in the negotiation process for Ukraine and Moldova.
Recall that on August 8, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to hold a meeting with Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss a possible peaceful settlement between Ukraine and Russia. In his statement, Trump suggested that one of the options for resolution could be “territorial exchanges.”
According to Western media, Putin would agree to a complete ceasefire only on the condition of the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donetsk region, while not renouncing claims to the occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will not agree to cede its territories to Russia, and neither he nor European leaders were invited to the summit in Alaska. Meanwhile, the US administration continues communication with the Ukrainian and European sides.
On August 11, an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of EU countries took place, where further steps in the context of the upcoming summit were discussed, determining the position regarding the war in Ukraine and potential ways to end it.