Ukraine savages the idea of concessions to end war evokes appeasement of Nazis

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy slammed demands that Kyiv give up land and make concessions to end the war with Russia, comparing the idea to Nazi Germany’s appeasement in 1938.

The enraged remarks by Zelenskiy and a senior aide come as Ukrainian military face a new onslaught in two eastern districts held by Russian-speaking rebels in 2014.

Given that a decisive military triumph was not feasible, the New York Times editorial board said on May 19 that a negotiated settlement might require Kyiv to make some difficult decisions.

And, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger argued that Ukraine should allow Russia to maintain Crimea, which it acquired in 2014.

In a late-night video speech, Zelenskiy said, “Whatever the Russian state does, there will always be someone who says, ‘Let’s take its interests into account.'”

“You get the idea that Mr Kissinger doesn’t have 2022 on his calendar, but 1938, and that he thinks he’s speaking to a crowd in Munich rather than Davos.”

At an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler to forego further territorial expansion, Britain, France, Italy, and Germany signed a deal in Munich in 1938 that gave him land in what was then Czechoslovakia.

“In 1938, the New York Times may have written something similar. But, as a reminder, the year is 2022 “Zelenskiy stated.

“Those who urge Ukraine to give anything to Russia, these ‘great geopolitical leaders,’ never see ordinary people, everyday Ukrainians, millions of people who live on the area they propose to sell for a fictitious peace.”

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