Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister 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 newly elected US President Donald Trump. In his opinion, fundamental differences between Ukraine and Russia make it impossible to achieve peace.
Kuleba stressed that any talk of compromise at this stage is 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. Either Ukraine or Putin,” the former Foreign Minister noted.
One of the main obstacles to long-term peace, according to Kuleba, is the lack of a clear perspective for Ukraine to join NATO. Although President Zelensky has already stated membership in the Alliance as a necessary condition for establishing peace, Kuleba suggests that such a step could take 10-20 years.
“This proposal is unacceptable to us, as it leaves Ukraine vulnerable to new attacks from Russia,” he added.
Kuleba was also skeptical about the idea of deploying British and French peacekeepers on the front lines, emphasizing the lack of effectiveness of such a step:
“Try stretching 40,000 soldiers along a 1,500-kilometer front line. It would 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 on the front worsens, the new US president will be forced to change his position.
“Trump doesn’t want to be accused of throwing Ukraine under the train. If things go really badly on the battlefield, he will provide assistance,” Kuleba noted.
European countries, despite their fear of escalation, will also not refuse to support Ukraine. Kuleba emphasizes that for Europe, military assistance to Kyiv is less costly than a potential conflict on their own territory.
“I don’t think Europe will betray Ukraine. They know: if Ukraine falls, war will come to their land. The bill for their own war will be much higher,” he emphasized.
