Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that if Ukraine does not win the fight against Russia, the European Union could be affected, saying: “If Ukraine fails, there will be war in European cities.” “I guess so,” he told CNBC.
“President Putin does not have the power or authority to fight multiple wars today,” Kuleba said, citing the recent fall of the Russian-backed Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria as an example. But he has the “resources to fight one war at a time,” which means if Ukraine collapses, the next place in the Russian president’s sights will be Europe, Kuleba warned. did.
Regarding guarantees for Ukraine’s long-sought NATO membership, Kuleba argued that the move was necessary to prevent a future conflict with Russia.
“Holding Ukraine’s NATO membership would theoretically help end the fighting and establish a ceasefire,” he said, “but it would prevent a second Russian-Ukrainian war from occurring. I can’t do that.”
Scenes of destruction caused by the Russian attack in Kostyantiniivka, Ukraine, on November 21, 2024.
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Kuleba added that security in lieu of member states is not enough, saying most of the proposals have already been granted to Ukraine as part of commitments signed with several countries, including the UK.
The former minister was confident that if “serious people” sat down to discuss the possibility of Ukraine’s participation in the alliance, they would understand that this is the only way forward.
Ukraine’s membership in NATO has been a difficult and sensitive issue for some NATO members, who require unanimous approval to accept new members.
President-elect Donald Trump
Mr. Kuleba said that President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to return to the White House in January, and it remains to be seen what specific policies he will implement, and that Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump’s recent meeting said it was a “good sign”. The two leaders met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. After speaking with Ukraine’s president, President Trump called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the nearly three-year war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attended a joint press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot.
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Donald Trump previously claimed during his campaign that if elected he could end the war “within 24 hours.” Meanwhile, Kuleba stressed that “the key to peace” lies in Moscow, not Kiev. The former foreign minister said President Trump’s main focus should be on how to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate in good faith.
Regarding the potential terms of a peace deal, Kuleba said that President Zelensky will “do everything in his power to ensure that peace does not take place at the expense of Ukraine,” adding that no political leader in Ukraine can ever allow territorial ceding. he said. Because it goes against the country’s constitution.
Use of US weapons to attack inside Russia
In an interview with Time magazine this week, President-elect Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s recent major policy change that allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-provided ATACMS to attack inside Russian territory. He called the move “madness” and accused the administration of “escalating.” [the] War and make it worse. ”
Earlier on Friday, a Kremlin spokesperson praised Trump’s criticism and said his comments were consistent with the Russian government’s “vision of the causes of escalation.”
Asked about Trump’s comments, Kuleba said Ukraine “cannot remain silent” as Russia continues to escalate. “When the enemy is putting more and more cannon fodder into the fight to take more villages and more of your land… it’s not a bad thing for counterattacks to escalate,” he said.
Early Friday morning, Russia launched a major attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s government reported that nearly 200 drones and 93 missiles were fired into the country in the attack.
