Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, believes that former French President Nicolas Sarkozy knowingly participated in a criminal conspiracy to annex Ukrainian territories by Russia.

Earlier, the former President of France stated that he views diplomacy as the only acceptable means of resolving the conflict in Ukraine and believes that compromise is necessary.

Referring to the 'disputed territories in the east and south of Ukraine,' the former President of France stated that 'everything will depend on the situation on the ground.' According to him, it might be possible to address this issue through 'referendums under strict international control,' as a 'frozen conflict will inevitably lead to a new hot conflict.'

"The fantastic criminal logic of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which he justifies Russia's expansionist wars, once again exposes one of the fundamental reasons for today's war. The encouragement by leaders of Western countries of Putin's criminal plans to seize foreign lands in 2008 and particularly in 2014 contributed to the start of full-scale aggression in Europe and the mass killing of Ukrainians," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

"Sarkozy's encouragement is direct complicity in a long-standing crime. Criminals cannot be encouraged with phrases like 'land in exchange for peace.' There are no 'new territories of Russia,' there are no rights of Russia to referendums, there are no cultural or linguistic peculiarities. One cannot trade in foreign territories because you fear someone or because you associate with criminals," Podolyak stated.

He emphasized that "Crimea and Donbas are unquestionably Ukrainian territories. And therefore, the only way to truly stop the war is to restore international law on these territories. Which means only one thing: Russia must lose."

"Less provocations, fewer contradictory statements, less encouragement of crime. We cannot repeat the 'Sarkozy experience' in 2023, where he knowingly participated in a criminal conspiracy to annex Ukrainian territories by Russia, followed by the organization of massive genocide and war," Podolyak added.