Kyiv: We are ready for peace, but not at any price!

According to Isna, “Irena Modra”, the deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine, in an interview with the “i24 News” channel, which was conducted on the sidelines of her trip to the occupied territories to strengthen economic relations, while expressing hope for the end of the three-year war, said: “Today we are more hopeful than 2 months ago.”

Referring to the “concrete actions of Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America”, he believes that a solution may be on the horizon.

At the same time, Mudra emphasized that Ukraine, despite being ready for diplomacy, does not accept peace at any price.

He also claimed: “Ukraine is committed to diplomacy, but diplomacy based on international law, not only based on Russia’s demands. “Russia’s demands are not diplomatic.”

As the official head of legal affairs in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since March 2024, Mudra has a clear mandate on what Kyiv will and will not achieve.

He claimed: “Any agreement that rewards aggression, legitimizes territorial occupation, or leaves Ukrainians unprotected against future aggression is unacceptable.” “No country can be expected to surrender its people or its sovereignty in exchange for temporary peace from the aggressor.”

While a ceasefire is an immediate condition for talks to begin, Mudra clarified that the ultimate goal is a “binding legal framework,” not just a temporary cessation of hostilities.

He stressed the need for international security guarantees that are “enforceable and verifiable” as opposed to past promises, saying, “We already have documents and we know what Russia’s signature means.”

Asked whether Putin would be tried, Mudra said: “For me, as a lawyer, justice is non-negotiable. There is no amnesty for the other side in this war and aggression.”

Today, Ukraine tracks more than 170,000 registered war crimes. Mudra emphasized that this responsibility should go to the highest levels of the “troika” consisting of the president, prime minister and foreign minister, in addition to senior military commanders.

However, he expressed doubts about the International Criminal Court. While acknowledging the issuance of arrest warrants against Vladimir Putin, he stated: “This court has acted “very slowly” and with political motives. This is not disappointing; “We have already seen that they could have done more because the evidence is so clear.”

The compensation mechanism is a key element in the liability case that Mudra follows. According to estimates by the World Bank and the European Commission in December 2024, the losses reached about 500 billion US dollars, a figure that has been increasing ever since. Kiev’s strategy is heavily dependent on accessing some US$300 billion of Russian state assets, mostly frozen in Europe. While Ukraine received a loan in 2024 backed by profits from these frozen assets, Mudra stressed the need to use the fund itself to compensate for the losses.

He said: “We believe that there is a strong justification in international law for the use of these assets.” He warned his Western partners: “If you are not careful in taking money from the aggressor, you will have to go to the pockets of your taxpayers.”

Regarding the relations between Ukraine and the Zionist regime, Mudra’s visit to the occupied territories witnessed the resumption of the Ukraine-Israel trade and economic cooperation committee, which was not formed four years ago.

He believes that the two nations have a common “moral and practical framework” and pointed to the Jewish concept of “correcting the world” and said with a smile: “This is my motto.”

He claims that Israel should be “at the center of the reconstruction of Ukraine”. He introduced Ukraine not as an aid case, but as the biggest investment opportunity in Europe since 1945 and invited Israeli companies to invest in the fields of security technology, health, agriculture and water management.

“Israeli investment is not only economically smart, but also historically correct,” the official said. “We want Israeli companies to come to Kyiv and become the main engineers of the future of Ukraine.”

Despite legal and diplomatic exercises at the highest levels, the reality of war remains tangible and devastating for Mudra. He describes life in Kyiv as duality and “pretending to live a normal life”.

He added: “Ukrainians will continue to fight. But we need the support of our partners. “We cannot do this alone.”

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