Polish President Duda slams Western calls for Ukrainian territorial concessions

Polish President Andrzej Duda criticized Western leaders who suggest Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Russia, urging them to imagine themselves in Ukraine's position, in an interview with the Sunday Times.

"If you’re so generous towards Russia, why not give them a piece of your own land? Why should any sovereign country have to satisfy Russia? On what grounds, may I ask, does Russia deserve anything — especially someone else’s territory?" Duda asked, addressing politicians who call on Ukraine to "come to terms" with the loss of some territories.

The Polish leader emphasized that any concessions to Moscow, even minor ones, would be a "catastrophic mistake." Weakening positions or making territorial concessions would only encourage Russia to further aggressive actions.

However, Duda avoided a direct answer to the question of whether Ukraine can fully regain control over all its territory. He noted Russia's numerical superiority but did not provide a specific assessment of the prospects for Ukraine to fully reclaim its lands.

In May 2024, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that the number of Ukrainians willing to make territorial concessions to achieve peace as soon as possible has increased. However, sociologists caution against dramatizing the situation and urge consideration of the context—specifically, respondents are still against "peace at any cost."

On October 19, former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly stated that NATO does not accept partially occupied countries. He highlighted three differences in the situation with Germany, which joined NATO while divided.

That same day, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna stressed that Ukraine will join NATO only within its 1991 borders. There will be no compromises.