Alexey Danilov
Alexey Danilov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council
Ukraine's top security official has said that, instead of a peace treaty, Kiev is only prepared to sign a document with Moscow that would finalize Russia's defeat. The announcement comes as the conflict between the two countries continues to rage.

During an TV interview on Monday, Alexey Danilov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), was asked about international security assurances for Kiev and possible peace with Russia.

Danilov replied: "With Russia we can only sign an act of its capitulation. The sooner they do it, the better it will be for their country."

The official noted earlier in the interview that President Volodymyr Zelensky's office handles the talks and not the NSDC. "We have our own views. The president knows my stance on the issue," he said. He added that he believes Zelensky will not violate Ukraine's constitution, which guarantees the country's territorial integrity and aspirations to join NATO.

Later on Monday, Zelensky's adviser Alexey Arestovich brought up Danilov's remarks during a chat with activist and YouTuber Mark Feygin. "The statement is very simple: there will be no peace treaty with Russia. There will only be the capitulation of the Russian Federation," Arestovich said.

Asked whether Danilov had been authorized to make such statements, Arestovich said: "He doesn't just make statements like that. He's an official of the highest rank. It's a completely new reality."

Moscow wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO, as well as recognize Crimea as part of Russia, and the independence of the Donbass republics. Moscow also seeks the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine.

Peace negotiations stalled after a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, in late March. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kiev on Sunday of frequently changing positions and "sabotaging" the talks.

Russia attacked neighboring Ukraine in late February, following Kiev's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.

Ukraine hasn't abandoned NATO plan - Deputy PM
Olga Stefanishyna
© Hennadii Minchenko / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty ImagesKiev has 'every right to be critical' of the bloc dragging its feet on membership, the official said
Ukraine "has not abandoned" its intention to join NATO, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna has said, while criticizing the US-led bloc for its "hesitation."

In an interview with El Pais on Tuesday, Stefanishyna claimed NATO's hesitation to admit Ukraine, which received an invitation from the organisation in 2008, led to the current military conflict with Moscow and brought Russian President Vladimir Putin "to where he is now."

"Sweden and Finland will become NATO members as soon as possible. But I can tell you for sure that if these countries waited another 15 years for their membership decision, they too would be in a state of war," the deputy PM claimed, referring to recent decisions by the Swedish and Finnish governments to reconsider their longstanding non-alignment policy amid Russian actions in Ukraine.

"We hear the constant message that [NATO] doesn't want to anger Russia when there is war in my country, and thousands of civilians have been killed. That frustrates much of society," Stefanishyna said.

She added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has "every right to be critical" of the "frustrating" messages from NATO leaders.

Moscow, which has long viewed NATO's expansion eastwards as a direct threat to its security interests, named the possible accession of Ukraine as one of the key reasons for its decision to launch a military attack, in February.

Ukraine has consistently asked NATO nations to implement a no-fly zone over its territory or provide it with warplanes, though the requests have been denied, prompting criticism from Zelensky. Earlier, Kiev also signaled it would give up its NATO ambitions and would agree on a neutral status as favored by Russia in exchange for security guarantees, which have not been officially offered so far.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Stefanishyna revealed that Kiev would submit the second part of the questionnaire on its European Union membership application this week.

She also called on Western countries to prioritize "strategic" decisions over "tactical" ones by imposing the toughest possible sanctions on Moscow.

"Every time we hear statements from the European leaders about making the decision to pay [Russia] in rubles or not being prepared to refuse their gas, we treat it as a tactical loss," she said, claiming that such concessions mean these countries are not "strategically" able to call Russia "an aggressor" or to admit that "unimaginable crimes" are taking place in Ukraine.