RTL Today - Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine: People are 'not willing to give up', stresses Emine Dzhaparova

Our colleagues from RTL spoke to Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister about the ongoing threats in the war-torn country, as well as the potential for peace talks with Russia.

During the last conversation between Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Ukraine's President, Bettel encouraged Zelensky to personally meet with Russian President Putin to begin peace talks.

However, Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Emine Dzhaparova, who recently travelled to Luxembourg, believes that it only makes sense to begin negotiations once Russia has been weakened: "The only way to get Russia to join us in negotiations is to weaken it. Every other attempt will be seen as weakness on our behalf."

Still, the politician ensured that Ukrainian authorities will not miss a single opportunity to advocate for peace. Minister Dzhaparova also underlined that Ukraine's territorial integrity cannot be doubted: "If you question our territorial integrity, then you can question that of every European country, which Putin will surely do."

The Ukrainian politician stressed that there are no intentions of expanding the country's territory, only to fight for the regions that were stolen in "barbaric manner".

Asked about whether the Donbas region and Crimean peninsula warrant the continued loss of human life and destruction, Minister Dzhaparova responded: "82% of Ukrainians do not want to give up. We have thousands of men queuing up and waiting to join the territorial defence forces of our army. This shows that people are not willing to give up."