Ukraine’s MFA rejects rumors of Foreign Minister Sybiha considering territorial compromises reported by FT

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, did not mention any territorial compromises during his meetings in New York. The Financial Times source's claim that the minister discussed such compromises is untrue.

According to Suspilne, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhiy Tykhyi, denied this information about the Foreign Affairs Minister, Andrii Sybiha, mentioned in the Financial Times article.

"I attended every meeting of Foreign Minister Sybiha in New York, and at none of them was there any proposal, discussion, or even hint of territorial compromises. On the contrary, the minister's position is unwavering, and he emphasized elements of it behind closed doors," Tykhyi emphasized.

He declared that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be compromised and that the only realistic path to achieving a comprehensive, fair, and lasting peace is through the peace formula, as explained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The principle of 'Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine' must be strictly adhered to. The minister stressed this to all his interlocutors. The information provided by the Financial Times source regarding the minister's discussion of compromises is simply false, and we wonder who is interested in spreading such false narratives at all," the statements of the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.

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The Financial Times, a British daily newspaper, recently published an article about the situation in Ukraine and the Ukrainian delegation's visit to the USA last week.

The article, in particular, mentions that several European diplomats who attended the UN General Assembly in New York last week say that there has allegedly been a noticeable change in the tone and content of the discussions surrounding a potential settlement of the war.

As the newspaper wrote, they allegedly "note a greater openness of Ukrainian officials to discuss the possibility of agreeing on a ceasefire, even if Russian troops remain on their territory, and more frank discussions among Western officials about the urgency of the agreement."

"We are talking more and more openly about how it will end and what Ukraine will have to give up to get permanent peace. And this is a serious change even six months ago when such conversations were taboo," the publication quotes one of the diplomats in New York.

According to diplomats, during his initial visit to the US as foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine engaged in private discussions with Western counterparts to explore potential compromises. He reportedly took a more practical stance regarding the option of land negotiations in exchange for security, in contrast to his predecessor. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied this information from the article.