Kuleba rules out talks with Russia until Ukraine finds itself stronger on battlefield
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this in an interview with ABC News, Ukrinform reports.
Kuleba claimed more money for Ukraine would potentially avoid a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, in which American troops would be forced to intervene.
"Whatever the price of supporting Ukraine is now, the price of fixing the mess in the world if Ukraine loses will be much, much higher. If the West is not able to stop Russia in Ukraine, who else is it able to stop in other parts of the world?" he said.
The minister also ruled out any negotiations with the Putin regime until Ukraine finds itself in a much stronger position on the battlefield. He conceded the Russian military had "learned their lessons" and was now "far better adapted to this war" but predicted "more defeats" for Russia this year. Kuleba also vowed that Ukraine would never give in to Russia
"Even if we run out of weapons, we will fight with shovels, because what is at stake here for Ukraine is the existence of this nation," the diplomat said.
According to the article, in recent months, Ukraine has continually launched explosive drones at targets inside the internationally recognized borders of Russia. Kuleba refused to comment directly on these attacks, however, he hinted that Kyiv was trying to show that the war in Ukraine was having an adverse impact back home, in Russia.
"President Putin must explain to his people why all of this is happening. I think it's helpful to force them [Russian residents] from time to time to realize that the reality outside of their TV is different and can be much, much worse than their propaganda," Kuleba said.
A report last week by the U.S. Defense Department's inspector general found that around a billion dollars worth of U.S. military items sent to Ukraine were not properly logged and tracked by U.S. officials. Kuleba promised the American public that "everything you give to us is used for the best purpose of ending this war with Ukraine's victory as soon as possible."
"Every attempt by Russia to disinform the world about (the) alleged leak or illicit traffic of U.S. weapons into other parts of the world… turned out to be fake. So don't believe in fakes, believe in Ukraine," the minister added.
