PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine wants peace and does not intend to move to the occupied territories by force – Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 18 February 2022.

What is happening now in Donbas is an attempt by Russia to provoke our Armed Forces to take certain action, but Ukraine wants peace and does not intend to move to the occupied territories by force. This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov at a briefing held at the President’s Office.

He stressed that there were no orders to liberate these territories by force, as this would lead to heavy casualties among the civilian population.

“There can be no such order in our country,” Oleksiy Danilov assured.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council noted that the Russian Federation is deliberately escalating the situation in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk using its representatives in these territories.

“This is an attempt to provoke our Armed Forces, our troops, to the answers they would very much like us to give. We can say that troops can open fire only if there is a threat to the lives of our military,” he said.

Oleksiy Danilov stressed that there is a great threat of provocations by representatives of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“They can do things that have nothing to do with our military, our services,” said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

At the same time, according to Oleksiy Danilov, today there is no full-scale invasion of Ukraine – “selective provocations by the Russian Federation are possible”.

“To this end, we have an appropriate response by our Armed Forces, the security and defense sector. We are aware of the threats that exist today,” he said.

In the context of the risks of further escalation on Ukrainian territory, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council reminded that all leading countries of the world have clearly stated that in case of further invasion, they must respond immediately.

“Whether it happens or not does not depend on us. Once again, we want peace and tranquility in our country,” Oleksiy Danilov stressed.

According to him, pursuant to the instruction of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada and the National Security and Defense Council will visit the affected areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to get themselves acquainted with the situation and help solve the problems of local residents.

“Tomorrow we will be in those places that were directly affected, where our infrastructure, schools and kindergartens were damaged,” he said.

Oleksiy Danilov stressed that Ukraine is ready to negotiate with the Russian Federation with a view to de-escalation, but not with the formations it supports in the occupied territories. After all, “negotiating with people who do not decide anything is a waste of time.”

“We cannot negotiate with people who do not make any independent decisions – all decisions are made only in Moscow. You know that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he is ready to meet with Putin at any time in order to hold these talks. Today, unfortunately, they refuse to negotiate,” said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

He also stressed that Ukraine stands for the implementation of the Minsk agreements according to the defined logic, and not in the way Russia wants.

For her part, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk stressed that Ukraine is not an enemy for the civilians of the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“Our enemy is the Russian invader. We clearly distinguish what is happening today in the temporarily occupied territories, we see how the Russian invaders escalate the situation, creating an information background, which leads to panic,” she said.

Iryna Vereshchuk is convinced that Russia’s actions regarding the announced evacuation, which is accompanied by disinformation in the Russian media, are aimed at causing unrest and panic among the population and, as a result, destabilizing the situation.

The Minister said she had a working meeting with USAID representatives today. The parties discussed humanitarian response plans already approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Iryna Vereshchuk called on citizens, who are currently in the temporarily occupied territories and are thinking about what to do in the current situation, to evacuate to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

“Come to us. Find an opportunity to cross the checkpoint. Or in another way. We are waiting for you, we will create all possible conditions for you to have a place to live, for you to have something to eat, for you to feel that you are not alone,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

She also thanked Ukraine’s international partners, including UNICEF and the Red Cross, for their assistance.

Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine had submitted a request for an urgent meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group. According to her, today the security group from the Ukrainian side was ready for talks. However, unfortunately, Russia refused to meet. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that such a meeting would take place tomorrow.

In addition, as Iryna Vereshchuk noted, Ukraine appealed to its Normandy Four partners Germany and France to strengthen the OSCE monitoring mission.

“We need independent verification. That is why we have addressed the Normandy participants and ask Germany and France to resolve the issue as soon as possible by providing representatives to the OSCE SMM who will independently assess the situation. We are ready and allow the mission to all the locations that are needed,” she said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that Ukraine is ready to involve representatives of the Red Cross, international journalists – all those who have the opportunity and can be involved in the process and provide objective information about the situation.