The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, in a comment to The Times, expressed doubts about the possibility of a quick end to the war in Ukraine even with the participation of the newly elected US President Donald Trump. In his opinion, the fundamental differences between Ukraine and Russia make it impossible to achieve peace.
Kuleba emphasized that any talks about a compromise at this stage are unrealistic. According to him, the real end of this war will come only when one of the sides wins.
"The real end of this war will be that only one of us will survive it. Either Ukraine or Putin," the ex-MFA chief noted.
According to Kuleba, one of the main obstacles to long-term peace is the lack of a clear prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. Although President Zelenskyi has already declared membership in the Alliance as a necessary condition for establishing peace, Kuleba suggests that such a step could drag on for 10-20 years.
"This proposal is unacceptable to us, because it leaves Ukraine vulnerable to new Russian attacks," he added.
Kuleba was also skeptical of the idea of placing British and French peacekeepers on the front line, stressing the insufficient effectiveness of such a step:
“Try stretching 40,000 soldiers along a 1,500-kilometer front line. It will be a very thin red line.”
Although Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut military aid to Ukraine, Kuleba believes that these statements are tactical. In his opinion, if the situation at the front worsens, the new US president will be forced to change his position.
"Trump does not want to be accused of throwing Ukraine under the train. If things go badly on the battlefield, he will help," Kuleba noted.
European countries, despite their fear of escalation, will not give up their support for Ukraine either. Kuleba emphasizes that for Europe, military assistance to Kyiv is less costly than a potential conflict on their own territory.
"I do not think that Europe will betray Ukraine. They know: if Ukraine falls, war will come to their land. The check for our own war will be much higher," he emphasized.
