Today, 783 days of full-scale war, and we talk about our future, our topic is time, and we discuss historical milestones, and how it is crucial to know the past. We listened to TED talks about time management and punctuality, we listened to some presentations on memory and emotions. But anything we think and mention, we always come to the war. Today is not an exception.
Today we appeared to discuss if we are ready to take a weapon and protect our country to the end, or we need to negotiate and look for the compromise.
Kristina Novikova:
I think there should be no negotiation with the aggressor. This country has done a tremendous number of horrors for our country. Russia has killed civilians, used various types of violence and destroyed cities. If we decide to negotiate, it will be a sign to the whole world that it is possible to break into a foreign country and do terrible things. Besides, Russia will feel strong and realize that it is all-powerful. I realize that our country and our people are going through a very difficult time, but Ukraine’s victory is an opportunity to prove once again that it is a strong, free, independent country that will not allow anyone to interfere in its structure.
Nastya Shvets:
I think we shouldn’t collaborate with russia. You know, we not the only nation who has been suffering from this country for hundreds of years. russia had many wars. If we collaborated with russian nation, it would mean that we give them such feeling of perfect imperial egoism. We can’t do this. russia will never stop destroying the world. After us will be other people, country lands. This country of evil will kill everything and grab all the world because it is their mentality, they have such selfishness in their blood. They will never stop because all of them think: “We are kings of the world”. So No, No, No and one more time, No to collaboration. War has broken many lives, children lost parents, women have been crying and praying for their soldiers.
Dasha Kobylyanska:
What can I say about negotiations with the russians? This is unacceptable. No Ukrainian should even have such a thought. My position is radical and clear, no “maybe”. To think like that is disrespectful and ungrateful to our military, to our boys and girls who give their lives for us EVERY DAY! To give up territory is to lose this war. It means depriving thousands of people of their homes. It means devaluing the efforts of our defenders. It means losing the war to the biggest terrorist country.
Glory to Ukraine!🇺🇦
Serhii B.:
I believe that negotiations are out of the question because too much has been sacrificed for our freedom, for our own “I”: people’s lives, people’s homes, hundreds of thousands of families, people will no longer be able to live and see the world as before. We must defend our land because we did not come to someone with a war, but we were attacked. The world turns a blind eye to this, so our fate is in our hands because history will repeat itself more than once until it is stopped. I don’t want the people who gave their lives for our safety to die in vain, and I will never forgive anything that happened because it broke my life and my family and unfortunately, there are a lot of people who share my tragedy in this war. Therefore, once again, there can be no negotiations.
Yulia Volynets:
I believe that there should be no negotiations with Russia. If we give parts of our country to the Russians, it will be a disgrace for the whole world. We have been shouting to the whole world for many years that we are a strong and independent nation, and we must prove it and see it through to the end, we have no right to give up. If we give up our territories, then what did our soldiers fight for? What were all those battles fought for? To give up parts of our country to the enemy in one day? No, we can’t do that. We must fight for our freedom to the end. We must win. Russia has been invading our land for centuries and wants to destroy Ukraine as a nation, this country doesn’t recognize our independence. One day, we must put an end to this and show the Russians that we will not bow down to them.
Aleksey Bondar:
I believe that it is necessary to achieve peace through negotiations, because I don’t see any other possibilities for this war to end. We can’t compare our country to the WW1 or WW2, because, for example, in Second World War Allies have managed to achieve the capitulation of Nazism because Germany had no nuclear weapons. Currently Russia has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the planet, which means that there is no opportunities for us to conquer any huge Russian cities, and without a huge advancement on Russian cities there would be no such reason to believe that Russia will capitulate and will retreat from the occupied territories. Ukraine will not capitulate either, so it’s society and people must decide whether they want to live in a country that will be in war for decades or they will understand that in the current frontline situation the compromise is the only way Ukraine can finally start to progress in economic sector, which is impossible to do while being at war.
Каrina Lysyuk:
I think it’s impossible. If it were another country, it would have given up on Moscow in the first days of the war. All the media and countries are now emphasizing negotiations, but it seems to me that this is pointless, no one wants to give anything to anyone. How many people died in these two years, for what? In order to give them everything…
Zelensky said earlier that he excluded the possibility of giving up any territory of our country. Any territorial compromises will make us weaker as a state. It’s not about the compromise itself. Why should we be afraid of this? Every day we make millions of compromises in our lives. The question is, with whom? With Putin? No. Because there is no trust. Dialogue with him? No. Because there is no trust…
So, the answer is obvious – victory is ours as long as we believe in it)
Alina Fits:
I would like to say that the best option would be to “sit down at the negotiating table”, but Russia is a country that invaded the country two years ago to save people who did not need it.
Putin is simply an aggressor, and he has already appropriated a lot of other territories. He, probably, thinks that all the territories that used to belong to the USSR now belong to Russia. However, after independence, Ukraine ceased to be a member of this organization.
So, it is necessary to respect the borders and sovereignty of another state, but he didn’t do it.
Consequently, in my opinion, until the president changes in Russia, or there is no fatal outcome, the war will not stop. However, all of us must show that we are strong and believe in our victory.
Iryna Volokhovych:
We can’t compromise or negotiate with Russia. First, it is not possible, because the terms of the negotiations will be dictated by the Russian authorities. They will set conditions that will definitely not suit us. They will never agree to a compromise that is uncomfortable for them. I don’t want to live under Russian rules because their dictatorship has turned their country into garbage. Second, how can we trust a country that has been killing us for centuries? Let’s imagine that we have agreed on a compromise that suits us, but will they keep their promises? I don’t believe them. We can only negotiate with intelligent people. Only with people who have good critical thinking It is possible to reach a single adequate agreement. The Russians have nothing from this to reach a peaceful agreement.
Alina Nazar:
I think it’s ridiculous to negotiate after 2 years of full-scale invasion. The government could have conducted some negotiations at the beginning of the war, although it still makes no sense in my opinion. Thousands of people have died for what? For us to go to negotiations now? I think it’s too late to go to negotiations and resolve these issues peacefully. Russia has crossed all possible boundaries that would give at least a minimal chance to discuss the situation. I believe that negotiations will not help to come to some kind of truth with a terrorist country.
Yaroslava Pohorelova:
Given what is happening now, negotiations with russia are out of the question. there is no one to negotiate with and nothing to negotiate about. how many Ukrainian lives have they taken? how many Ukrainian destinies have they destroyed to the ground. the only option now for us, Ukrainians, is to win this war and forget about the aggressor country forever. unfortunately, it will be very difficult to do this because the people who gave their lives will never be brought back.
It is very difficult to really understand people who can say or think about negotiations and that we can negotiate something now. No. They have brought so much horror into our lives. every day can be the last. So, as I said, there can be no negotiations, no compromises at this point.
Sofiia Kolisnyk:
I don’t believe that surrendering and compromising with Russia is a solution. We already did that in 2014 when Donetsk was frozen under Russian control. And what happened then? Everything was plundered and ruined. And what came out of it? We were attacked again. It won’t just end with surrendering territories that are already occupied. It won’t just end with a story where everyone lives peacefully. We must fight for our country, culture, and ourselves. Many foreigners love our country and culture, they come to us to get acquainted and stay here. They learn the Ukrainian language. That’s why our country should exist. We will fight until we have strength.
Mariia Vovchyna:
In my opinion, it’s absolutely ridiculous to even think about negotiations with russians. After more than 10 years of the war and after 2 years of the full-scale invasion, there’s no place for negotiations or any other agreements with russians. After centuries of russians trying to erase us, Ukrainians, and our identity, there is nothing to negotiate about with them. If we look at the history, we can easily understand that negotiations or any other agreements with russians never lead to anything good. And even if we ever find ourselves in such situations, it’ll be the same as a capitulation. It’ll be an end of our independence. And it’ll be a dooms day not only for Ukrainians, but also for the whole Europe, russians won’t stop at our border, they’ll go further and further. They are terrorists, you don’t negotiate with terrorists and with those who do what russians are doing with us and have been doing for centuries.
And what’s even more important, it will be a massive disrespect for our soldiers, who have fallen and those soldiers who are giving their livers right now for the future of our country and for the people of Ukraine. I don’t think there’s any place for negotiations with russians now or ever.
Alisa Younes:
The situation in Ukraine and negotiations with Russia is highly complex, and my opinion is formed from a neutral standpoint, focusing on the importance of diplomacy and peaceful resolution. Compromises and negotiations with Russia during the conflict in Ukraine are crucial for several reasons.
Firstly, diplomacy and negotiation offer the best chance for minimizing human suffering and preventing further escalation of the conflict.
Secondly, compromise is often a necessary component of conflict resolution. While it can be challenging, finding common ground and making concessions may be essential to reaching a sustainable peace agreement.
However, it’s crucial that any compromises or negotiations prioritize the principles of international law, respect for sovereignty, and the rights of the Ukrainian people. Any agreements reached must be transparent, enforceable, and conducive to a stable and peaceful future for Ukraine.
Marichka Andriushchenko:
I believe that there can be no negotiations with russia because we have already paid too high a price for our future, but unfortunately, this price is still not enough. I can’t imagine how after the negotiations we will come to the cemetery and look at all the fallen heroes and understand that their death and suffering had no point… Each of them fought for a free life in a free country, and we have no chance of giving up. Yes, this war won’t end soon, and we won’t get it easy, but freedom has never been easy. Therefore, we can come out of this war with a shield or on a shield.
