ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Roman Voloshyn has been serving up pierogis in St. Petersburg for years. But this week, his thoughts are less about his restaurant, Pierogi Bar, and more about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“My family, for generations, stood for Ukraine and for culture and for community,” Voloshyn said.
He’s worried about a 28-point plan revealed last week that aims to stop the fighting. Some observers have described the plan as too favorable to Russia, since it asks Ukraine to give up land and make other concessions.
“It’s not a peace plan, it’s a surrender plan,” Voloshyn said. “It’s not going to happen. Ukraine cannot give territory away. Judicially, it’s not possible.”
Meanwhile, U.S. and Ukrainian officials met Sunday in Miami to discuss ways to move toward peace. According to ABC News, both sides described the meeting as “productive.”
“We don’t just want to end the war,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the meeting. “We also want to help Ukraine be safe forever, so never again will they face another invasion. And, equally importantly, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity.”
Still, Voloshyn remains skeptical.
“Russia is not going to accept anything,” he said.
He worries that Russia will not agree to any plan that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and that Ukraine won’t accept anything that compromises its independence or territory.
“The ceasefire may happen,” he said. “The war will not stop. It’s just too deep of ideological difference between what Ukraine is and what Russia is.”
U.S. diplomats are expected to travel to Moscow on Tuesday to continue discussions with Russia, despite the skepticism of Voloshyn and others.
Lawsuit alleges deputy driving 97 mph without lights and siren killed truck driver
Deputy was speeding to call involving a fight among elementary school students on school bus when black box shows he was driving nearly double the speed limit on busy highway
