‘People are more important than land’: Alfred Koch urged Kyiv to stop the war, or Ukraine will perish

Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister, now opposition figure Alfred Kokh, who is living in Germany and has been an outspoken critic of the Russian invasion and a supporter of Ukraine throughout the war, has called on Ukrainian authorities to stop the war “at any cost,” warning that otherwise the country will “die out.”

Kokh made these comments in an interview with journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov.

Kokh reminded that even before the war, Ukraine had one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, and this rate has plummeted further since the large-scale invasion began. Additionally, millions have fled the country, and the “flower of the nation” is dying at the front.

“This war, from Ukraine’s perspective, needs to be stopped immediately at any cost. Because if it continues, in 40 years this country will not exist… Any more or less qualified demographer will tell you this,” said Kokh.

“The question arises: you want to liberate the land. But for whom do you want to liberate it? For Syrian refugees who will come and live on it? Because it will be an empty place… You are losing the country, and that is worse than losing the war,” Kokh noted, adding that “people are more important than land.”

He urged Volodymyr Zelensky to fulfill his campaign promise and start negotiations “even with the devil himself” to stop the death of Ukrainians.

When the host objected that Vladimir Putin does not want to end the war, Kokh responded that such offers have been made by the Russian president repeatedly: “Turn on the iron – there’s a statement that Putin wants negotiations.”

“There is only one way to find out: sit down at the negotiating table. You will find out literally an hour after they start. Invite journalists, [Jake] Sullivan, [Olaf] Scholz. If he deceives, you can stand up and leave,” Kokh said.

When Kiselyov remarked that Zelensky could face a “Maidan” if he enters negotiations, Kokh countered that Ukrainians do not want to fight, as evidenced by the aggressive actions of the territorial recruitment centers.

“The Verkhovna Rada, where Zelensky has a majority, delayed the mobilization law for five months. Why? Probably because the Ukrainian people were not very keen on this law being passed,” Kokh speculated.

He views a long war as a losing strategy for Ukraine.

“If you want to spite Putin by self-immolating an entire nation – well, okay,” Kokh added.

As for the West, Kokh believes it is not against negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. However, given the lack of such a desire from the Ukrainian authorities, the U.S. is using the situation for its purposes.

“Western strategists have decided that as long as this war is ongoing, Putin will definitely not attack Europe. We keep telling them (Ukrainian authorities): sit down and negotiate. But they want to keep fighting. Well, okay, we give them weapons – just enough so they do not lose the desire to fight… And keep them on this diet so that they mutually annihilate each other, one army against the other,” Kokh stated.