Ukraine rules out ceasefire as fighting intensifies in Donbas
- Poland’s Andrzej Duda, the first foreign leader to address Ukrainian lawmakers in person since the war said ‘only Ukraine has the right to decide its future’
- Ukraine’s parliament also extended martial law and general mobilisation for an additional 90 days, until August 23, a day before it celebrates Independence
Ukraine ruled out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow while Russia intensified its attack in the eastern Donbas region and stopped sending gas to Finland in its latest response to Western sanctions and its deepening international isolation.
Polish President Andrzej Duda told Ukraine’s parliament that ceding even “one inch” of the country’s territory would be a blow to the whole West and reassured Kyiv of Warsaw’s strong backing for its European Union membership bid.
“Worrying voices have appeared, saying that Ukraine should give in to [President Vladimir] Putin’s demands,” Duda said, the first foreign leader to address Ukrainian lawmakers in person since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
“Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future.”
He also said he was committed to ensuring that Ukraine is granted EU candidate status as quickly as possible.
Ukraine’s parliament has also extended the period of martial law and general mobilisation for an additional 90 days, until August 23, lawmakers said on Sunday.