Ukraine negotiator: 'We have the upper hand'
Ukrainian diplomat Sergiy Kyslytsya discusses the current state of peace negotiations with Russia and the challenges of maintaining diplomatic channels. He emphasizes that while dialogue is ongoing, Ukraine maintains its position of freezing the conflict without ceding territory.
Why it matters
Provides insight into the internal diplomatic strategy of Ukraine amidst a shifting geopolitical landscape involving the U.S. and Russia.
KYIV — When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Sergiy Kyslytsya was in New York serving as Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations.
That day, Kyslytsya leaned into his microphone at the U.N. and looked straight at his Russian counterpart Vasily Nebenzya. Kyslytsya did not hold back.
"There is no purgatory for war criminals," he said. "They go straight to hell, ambassador."
Russia's invasion severed diplomatic relations between Kyiv and Moscow. That made Kyslytsya's posting at the U.N. a particularly unique one: the only place where a Ukrainian diplomat engaged directly with his Russian counterpart.
"My fellow ambassadors in all capitals around the world would not talk to them," Kyslytsya says. "So by the time I was part of our negotiating team (for peace talks), I already knew how to control my feelings and attitude."
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