Will Create Strong Border with Russia Even if Peace is Reached, Establish NATO-like Alliance: Ukrainian Presidential Advisor

Ukraine will create a strong border with Russia even after the current war situation dies down, said Mykhaylo Podolia, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

"Bridges have been burnt. We will create a strong border and will be as cold towards Russia as a country that has invaded our home in order to kill us deserves," Podoliak said during an interview with Polish outlet WP Wiadomości.

Talking about ceasefire, Podoliak said, “The immediate withdrawal of Russian troops is one of the key aspects of the peace agreement. However, negotiations are a massive-scale process involving not only Russia and Ukraine.”

“For now, both the Russian and the Ukrainian delegations stand by their positions. Agreeing on the points at issue can take anywhere from a few days to a week and a half. It will primarily take into account the interests of Ukraine, which suffered huge losses due to the Russian invasion,” he said.

The official added that Kyiv “wants to create a mechanism which will guarantee its safety in the future, rather than just sign an agreement to end the ongoing war with Moscow.”

New NATO-like Alliance to Protect Ukraine?

When asked about Ukraine’s desire to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Podoliak said, “What matters to us is not (NATO-member) status, but allies who are truly ready to fight by our side. The invasion of Ukraine has shown that the entire European security architecture should be verified.”

He says Putin can only be stopped by force. “NATO today does not have this force…The truth is that the largest military alliance (NATO) in human history makes no impression on the Kremlin. All these talks about NATO approaching Russia's borders are just a trick, propaganda for Russians on the internal market to justify their attack on Ukraine and other countries.”

The official revealed plans to create a new alliance. “That is why we want to end this war by building a new alliance that is strong enough to stop Russia if it wants to attack someone again… We want to make sure that we will not be left alone on the battlefield again,” he said.

Podoliak did not disclose which countries were interested in joining the alliance. “I cannot reveal this as negotiations are still ongoing. When they are over, President Zelenskyy will present the entire concept,” he said.

Leaders from Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic met Zelenskyy recently. “It (new alliance) was one of the key topics discussed during the meeting. The leaders of these countries perfectly understand the risk that Russia poses today.”

What will happen to Crimea and Donbass?

Asked if Ukraine would recognize Crimea a part of Russia, and the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk pseudo-republics, Podoliak answered, “In the beginning, Russia came with a whole lot of demands, and most of them are not on the table right now. As regards the occupied territories, Ukraine's position remains unchanged: the state's borders cannot be changed. One of the key questions remains how these territories should be managed. The problem is that the Russian Federation entered us with the war, instead of starting a conversation.”