Ukrainian PM says Russian troops withdrawing from territory is only way to end the war

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in a new interview said that the ongoing conflict between his country and Moscow can only end if Russian troops withdraw.

“I think that this war should be finished when we clean our territories from Russian occupants,” Shmyhal told moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Asked by Brennan if a full withdrawal is the only way to bring an end to the war, Shmyhal said, “I think, yes, if Russians will leave territory of Ukraine, if we’ll have guarantees of safety for our country, from our partners, if we will have a possibility to recover our country and using Russians’ frozen assets.”

“So I think that we can, seeing that the war is finished and that Ukraine have a glory in this war,” he added.

Shmyhal did, however, say he personally believes that it is “impossible” for Ukraine to win “in the battle with a nuclear state.”

“One of the biggest nuclear firepower is in Russia… We may protect democracy in Europe, on our continent, in the world. But I think that this war should be finished when we clean our territories from Russian occupants,” Shmyhal said.

“But I think that this war should be finished when we clean our territories from Russian occupants,” he added.

Shmyhal’s comments aired exactly two months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. The two sides have engaged in a number of negotiations since the start, but none of the conversations have led to any major breakthroughs.

The prime minister told Brennan that ending the conflict through negotiations remains on the table.

“Russia done many atrocities and many war crimes in Ukraine. But we understand that this terrible war could be finished only on the table of negotiations with presence of- presence of our partners, of world leaders, of civilized countries. But we should sign some papers about finish of this war,” he said.