The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umérovdenied this Friday in Oslo the information that indicates that Kiev is willing to cede territory to Russia in exchange for guaranteeing security and assured that the integrity of the country is a “priority.”
«First of all we are fighting for values such as freedom and national interests and territorial integrity is a part of our values. It’s our country. “We choose to be part of NATO, of the European Union, of the civilized world and that is what we fight for.”Umerov said at a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart, Bjørn Arild Gram.
Umerov described this information as “false” and “Russian propaganda”, and considered it “worrying” that its European partners are “spreading” this.
“Our priority remains to protect the people and the nation, and to free the people from temporary occupation,” said the Ukrainian minister, ensuring that the inhabitants of those territories are waiting to be “liberated.”
Umérov and Gram signed a cooperation agreement between both countries within the defense industry, in areas such as technology, innovation and knowledge.
Gram had visited kyiv at the end of October and then announced an allocation of 1.3 billion Norwegian crowns (about 110 million euros) to reinforce the Ukrainian air defense.
“We must ensure that the Ukrainian defense industry produces as much material as possible for the Ukrainian forces (…) Through this agreement we will contribute to increasing the production of weapons and ammunition and reducing the time until the material reaches where it is needed”Gram said.
The Norwegian Defense Minister reiterated Oslo’s “total” support for Ukraine and praised the authorities of that country for the “impressive” increase in its military productive capacity.
Norway has committed to sending military and civil aid to Ukraine worth 135 billion (11.52 billion euros) until 2030. EFE (I)
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World-today-news.com: Good morning, everyone. Today, we have with us two esteemed guests, Rustem Umérov, the Defense Minister of Ukraine, and Bjørn Arild Gram, the Norwegian Defense Minister. Thanks for joining us today.
Rustem Umérov: Thank you for inviting us. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Bjørn Arild Gram: Good day. It’s an honor to participate in this interview.
World-today-news.com: To begin with, can you please clarify for our readers the stance of the Ukrainian government regarding the recent speculation about potential territorial concessions to Russia? Both of you have denied these reports, and Defense Minister Umérov has referred to it as Russian propaganda. Can you expand on that, please?
Rustem Umérov: First of all, we are fighting for values such as freedom and national interests, and territorial integrity is a part of our values. It’s our country. We choose to be part of NATO, of the European Union, of the civilized world, and that’s what we fight for. So, any information suggesting otherwise is false and just another attempt by Russia to undermine our resolve. We have never considered ceding any of our territory in exchange for guarantees of security. The Ukrainian people are united in their desire to defend their homeland, and we are committed to restoring peace and sovereignty over all of our lands.
Bjørn Arild Gram: I completely agree with Mr. Umérov. I’d like to add that Norway also supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will not accept any territorial changes in Europe by force. The Minsk agreements must be respected, and Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. Any negotiations must consider these principles.
World-today-news.com: Moving on to the defense cooperation agreement signed by Norway and Ukraine, how do you see this agreement contributing to Ukraine’s defense capabilities?
Rustem Umérov: The agreement signed today will help us strengthen our defense industry by sharing knowledge, technology, and innovation. It will enable us to enhance our military productive capacity and produce more weapons and ammunition for our forces. We have made significant progress
