Ukraine prez office head calls NSA Doval, seeks support for UN resolution

Head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak has spoken to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and sought India's support for a draft resolution in the UN on peace in Ukraine, asserting that cooperation with New Delhi was very important.

According to a Ukrainian statement, Yermak during a phone call informed Doval about the current situation at the front, in particular about the "extremely difficult defense" of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

"We know that Russia is preparing certain offensive actions, and we are preparing to respond. The Russian army is very unmotivated, while Ukrainian warriors are showing extraordinary bravery and resilience. We will not stop until we liberate all our territories. We only need weapons," Yermak said.

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Yermak's call to Doval comes days ahead of the UN General Assembly voting on the draft resolution underscoring the urgency to find lasting peace in Ukraine, a year after Moscow invaded its neighbour.

India has mostly abstained on resolutions related to the Russia-Ukraine war in the UN, including in the Security Council, General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

Yermak said Ukraine continues to fight on the battlefield, but at the same time has proposed a peace plan -- a ten-point peace formula -- that provides comprehensive answers to the question of what needs to be done to end the war in a sustainable and just manner.

"The draft resolution on support for the principles of the UN Charter, which form the basis of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, will be considered by the UN General Assembly on February 23. The document is based on such fundamental principles as the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states within internationally recognized borders," the statement said.

Yermak said that Ukraine is interested in the broadest possible support for the resolution, in particular from the countries of the Global South.

"Cooperation with India is very important to us. We believe that you will support our resolution, as it contains very correct wording on the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. Our goals are transparent and clear: We do not claim a single centimeter of Russian territory, we just want to get ours back," he said.

The Head of the President's Office emphasised the importance of forming a new effective security system in the world to replace the ineffective one that existed until February 24, 2022, the statement said.

"This resolution is fundamental for us because it restores respect for international law and the UN Charter in the world. It is very important to protect the territorial integrity of any state in the world in order to prevent any attempts by one country to appropriate the territory of another one in the future," he said.

Yermak said he believes these principles are shared by India and the majority of countries of the world.

Ukraine welcomes any initiative that gives a chance to end the war and restore the territorial integrity of our country, but these should not be partial temporary solutions such as a ceasefire, but a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, the statement said.

Otherwise, peace will be unstable, and this is unacceptable for Ukraine, it added.

"We are absolutely convinced that the war can and should be ended this year so that the anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale invasion will be the first and last in our history," Yermak said.

The two sides agreed to maintain close contact on the eve of the UN General Assembly vote, the statement said.

India has repeatedly called on Russia and Ukraine to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue and end their ongoing conflict.