Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba does not hope that the newly elected US President Donald Trump will be able to mediate in concluding a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Kuleba said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not in the mood to make a deal. In addition, Trump risks "overthrowing" the Ukrainian front line if the new US administration deprives Kiev of weapons. He said this in an interview with Politico, reports UNN.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine and, tellingly, boasted that he could do it in one day.
However, Kuleba, who left his post in September, said in an interview that he does not believe that Putin will do this. "Putin still believes that he can destroy Ukrainian statehood and crush Ukraine as an independent democracy, and believes that he is one step away from making the West weak," he said.
"Ukraine is Putin's personal obsession, but crushing Ukraine is also a means to achieve his great goal of showing the whole world that the West is not capable of defending itself or what it stands for," Kuleba added.
Kuleba also questioned the determination of Ukraine's Western partners - particularly Germany, which is awaiting early elections - and complained that while Russia has managed to find allies like North Korea to send troops, Kiev's allies have been inconsistent and unreliable in terms of arms support.
"People in Europe may be angry with me, but I have said and will continue to say that the truth is that today Russia has a friend who is ready to send his soldiers to die for Russia's war," he said, while Ukraine's friends do not even want to send it the necessary weapons.
One of Kuleba's biggest concerns is that Trump will refuse to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. To make her more compliant if his peace offer fails. If this happens, Kuleba warns, Kiev's prospects will be "deplorable.
"The front line in the Donbas will collapse, and the Russians will find themselves at the gates of Dnipro, Poltava and Zaporizhia. This will be the most dangerous moment for Ukraine in this war," he warned.
Last week, for the first time in the war, Russia attacked the Dnieper River with a new ballistic missile with several warheads and has since threatened to launch others. Russia has also deployed about 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region.
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In response, and only after months of lobbying Ukrainians, President Joe Biden gave Kiev permission to use long-range missiles delivered by the Americans to strike targets in Russia.
Kuleba said he expects the escalation to continue, but does not think it will get out of control, noting that all parties clearly check their actions and signal their intentions to reduce the likelihood of a miscalculation that could lead to a catastrophic outcome.
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