Ukraine ‘should focus on hi-tech war of survival rather than recapturing territory’

Vladimir Putinrussian President

We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”

Meanwhile, the emissary whom Putin dispatched to Russo-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, harked back to the great northern war of 1700-21, telling the Ukrainian delegation

We can speak only about a hi-tech war of survival, using a minimum of economic means to achieve maximum benefit,

he was quoted as saying

Ukraine is not capable of another war in terms of demography and economy, and we shouldn’t even entertain the thought,

he added

My personal opinion is that the enemy still has resources, forces and means to launch strikes on our territory and attempt specific offensive operations,

he said

It is not fair if everyone will say, ‘OK, we will help you in a time of war, so you are owned [by] us.’”

As Fedoseienko put it

The Russian state has committed these war crimes, has broken international law, has done this damage to Ukraine – that actually becomes a just way of helping Ukraine rebuild,

said O’Brien

So Ukrainian banks can provide loans to Ukrainian companies to invest and operate in Ukraine. This is a big ecosystem to finance investment and operational needs to the Ukrainian economy,

said Fedoseienko

There’s nothing remotely fair about it. The aid was not given to be paid back,

said O’Brien

There needs to be a substantial expansion of public insurance products in particular, as well as a move to seize frozen Russian assets,

said Hess

I think what Ukraine needs is some kind of future where it will have a stable and defendable border, and that will only come, I would think, with EU membership,

historian Phillips O’Brien told Al Jazeera

Is it enough to recover the Ukrainian economy?”

Fedoseienko asked

Projects have a long launch period … from five to 10 years,

Maxim Fedoseienko, head of strategic projects at the KSE Institute, told Al Jazeera

The Kremlin has certainly looted occupied territory, including for coking coal, agricultural products, and iron,

Hess told Al Jazeera

All were targeted by Russian forces,

wrote Hess in his recent book, Economic War

Valerii Zaluzhnyivalerii

I hope that there are not people in this room who still hope for some kind of miracle or lucky sign that will bring peace to Ukraine, the borders of 1991 or 2022 and that there will be great happiness afterward,

the RBK Ukraine news site quoted Zaluzhnyi as telling a forum in Kyiv

It’s very difficult situation in my town. The centre of Bilopillya is 10km from the Russian border and the outskirts are 5-6km away,

Zarko said

The first two months of the war were very tough days but then the situation stabilised for a while,

said Oksana Solodovnyk, a regional correspondent for the 1+1 channel

I was born an optimist,

Zarko said in a cafe in the neighbouring regional capital of Sumy, which he had reached taking a lift in one of his town’s ambulances along a dangerous road that is often shelled by the Russians

My personal feeling is that if we are going to have peace talks it should be between the two leaders,

she said

Elections will need careful preparations because of the many displaced people inside Ukraine and abroad. Ukraine must protect its reputation as an electoral democracy. If elections are rushed too soon and are not properly prepared, Ukrainians will question their legitimacy. This is exactly what Putin wants – a failed state with disorder that cannot govern itself. There is no demand for early elections now and the pressure from the US and Russia looks like interference in Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

Lutsevych said