The Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, firmly stated that Ukraine will not concede any territory to Russia, dismissing recent ultimatums from Moscow.
Melnyk emphasized that Ukraine is fighting for its homeland while accusing Russia of sacrificing its own citizens. He provided a stark statistic: for every square kilometer of territory Russia manages to seize, it loses an average of 254 soldiers.
He remarked, “No army since World War I has paid such a steep price in lives for minimal territorial gains as Russia has.” In comparison, he noted that during the Soviet-Finnish War from 1939 to 1940, the cost in lives was approximately one hundred times lower.
Melnyk further elaborated on the toll of the conflict, suggesting that to fully occupy the Donetsk region, President Putin would need to send at least 1.5 million additional soldiers to their deaths, more than doubling current Russian casualties to over 3 million.
He stated, “Even for Mr. Putin, who seems to value the lives of his citizens at less than a penny, such a figure would be catastrophic.” He added that attempting to conquer all of Ukraine at the current pace would require over 122 million Russian soldiers, extending the war for approximately 183 years.
On the topic of ultimatums, Melnyk reiterated Ukraine’s stance, saying, “We reject any form of ultimatum. We will never leave a single square millimeter of our land. We will never abandon any of our citizens.” He ironically referred to Putin as a “military genius” who fails to grasp that his goal of capturing Ukraine cannot be achieved through military means.
Previously, the Baltic Defense Initiative released a forecast indicating that Russia could force the Baltic states into capitulation within 90 days, potentially without deploying ground troops, relying instead on extensive missile and drone strikes.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin hinted at the possibility of invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, which pertains to the right to self-defense, in response to accusations from Finland and the Baltic states regarding the passage of Ukrainian drones targeting Russian territory. This warning came from former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Additionally, Sweden has suggested that Russia may soon attempt to seize one of the islands in the Baltic Sea as a means to test NATO’s reaction to such provocations.
Ukrainian officials have firmly rejected Russian ultimatums regarding territorial concessions, emphasizing the heavy toll on Russian forces. The ongoing conflict has raised concerns about potential military strategies in the Baltic region.