A peace agreement can only be concluded with Ukraine's consent, because there can be no just and lasting peace that implies the surrender of Ukrainians, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said.

At the panel discussion dubbed “Ukraine: The Road Ahead” on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Barrot said that the 21st century probably began on February 24, 2022, “with the end of the era of peace dividends.” According to him, people should get used to the idea that “they will constantly need to spend more and achieve better results in terms of protecting their own safety.”

“The first time this question will be asked is to ensure that any peace agreement that is concluded is respected. This will have to happen with the consent of Ukrainians, because there can be no just and lasting peace that would imply the surrender of Ukrainians,” the minister said.

At the same time, he pointed out that peace would have to be guaranteed one way or another by international partners, including European countries.

“These are discussions that we are conducting internally in specialized forums to try and start thinking about what such security guarantees might look like. But more broadly, I think the public needs to realize that we will not return to the era before February 24, and that we will start doing much more to ensure our safety,” Barrot said.