Veteran diplomat Henry Kissinger denied having said Russia should keep the territories that Ukraine considers under its jurisdiction. He affirmed that the criticism directed at his comments on the topic was incorrect.
Currently, Russia still controls 15% of Ukraines territory before the war. These territories must be returned to Ukraine before a meaningful ceasefire can be established, the former US secretary said in an interview with Time magazine on July 3.
Kissinger believes that Crimea and part of Donbass, which are currently controlled by Russian allies the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, should not be considered because they have essential interests towards Russia beyond the dispute of the current crisis.
I am not saying that the territory should be given up. I just imply that there must be separate rules in any negotiations," the former US secretary of state said.
The 99-year-old diplomatic commented on the comments he made in May in an online speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He called for early start of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, warning that the West's failure to take into account Russia's security interests would bring the country closer to China.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kiev cannot accept any military defeat against Moscow. The Ukrainian leader has criticized former foreign minister Kissinger for saying what he claimed was to appease Russia. Mr Zelensky compared Kissinger to the architects of the Munich Agreement of 1938 - the UK and France - paving the way for the German Confederation of Labor's invasion of Ukraine.
After the armed coup of Maidan in 2014, Crimea voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia. Meanwhile, the two regions in Donbass have seceded and sought wide autonomy within Ukraine.
Russia cited the need to protect these regions from continuous attacks by Ukraine as one of the reasons for the special military campaign on February 24.
Time's interview with former Secretary of State Kissinger is dedicated to discussing his new book on the leadership of prominent politicians. He wrote about six figures: Post-war West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, French President Charles de Gaulle, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Singaporean Prime Minister Li Quang Dieu and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
When asked to assess the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kissinger reiterated his view that Zelensky had played a historic role in his election as president, but it remains to be seen whether he can institutionalize what he has begun.
He did not express his views on what the world would be like after the war as he clearly expressed his confidence in pursuing the war. But I consider him a great figure," said former foreign minister Kissinger.
