Ukraine’s foreign minister has said that “the era of peace in Europe is over” and that the country needs more help in its fight against Russia.
Speaking to the British The Guardian newspaper, Dmytro Kulebasaid that Ukraine's allies should now move from “expressing condolences and sympathy to Ukrainians and promising reconstruction assistance to preventing loss of life and destruction of the country.”
Arguing that the West must increase its arms production, he said: “When I see what Russiaachieved in building up its defense industrial base in two years of the war and what the west has achieved, I think something is wrong on the part of the west.
“The west has to realize the era of peace in Europe is over.”
He added that restoring American military aid would not be enough to defeat Russia, saying: “No single package will stop the Russians. The Russians will be stopped by a united front of all of Ukraine and all its partners.”
He further dismissed suggestions that after more than two years of full-scale war, it was time for negotiations, recalling that between 2014 and the invasion in 2022, there were "200 rounds of talks" with Russia.
He continued saying that Putin would engage in serious talks only when his military position was "close to collapse."
To get to this point, he said, Ukraine needed "success on the battlefield" and a coalition of countries that will support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace formula, which assumes Russia's withdrawal from the occupied areas, reparations and a tribunal to judge its war crimes.
According to observers, the war is likely to continue into next year with Russia expected to launch a summer offensive and mobilize an additional 100,000 soldiers to fight.
Arguing that the West must increase its arms production, he said: “When I see what Russiaachieved in building up its defense industrial base in two years of the war and what the west has achieved, I think something is wrong on the part of the west.
“The west has to realize the era of peace in Europe is over.”
He added that restoring American military aid would not be enough to defeat Russia, saying: “No single package will stop the Russians. The Russians will be stopped by a united front of all of Ukraine and all its partners.”
He further dismissed suggestions that after more than two years of full-scale war, it was time for negotiations, recalling that between 2014 and the invasion in 2022, there were "200 rounds of talks" with Russia.
He continued saying that Putin would engage in serious talks only when his military position was "close to collapse."
To get to this point, he said, Ukraine needed "success on the battlefield" and a coalition of countries that will support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace formula, which assumes Russia's withdrawal from the occupied areas, reparations and a tribunal to judge its war crimes.
According to observers, the war is likely to continue into next year with Russia expected to launch a summer offensive and mobilize an additional 100,000 soldiers to fight.
Source: PAP, The Guardian
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