Ukrainian troops recently launched a two-pronged offensive in the south and east of the country and are making significant gains in Russian-controlled territories. In an interview given to Sunday newspaperDmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister, returns to this situation, which shows, according to him, that a victory against Russia is possible.
“This is the first counteroffensive that we are leading. It shows that Russia can not only be stopped, but also defeated,” said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy. He reiterates that the goal remains “to fully restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It will take time, it will require sacrifices, but we will achieve it.”
He cannot provide exact figures on the territories that have returned to Ukrainian control. “It’s about several hundred square kilometers,” he estimates, however.
The issue of weapons remains essential
Dmytro Kuleba also judges that these early victories would not have been possible without the French Caesar guns and the American Himars. But with the front lines stretching, equipment needs remain pressing. “In terms of heavy weapons, Russia still surpasses us,” acknowledges the minister.
On Thursday, he met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The latter promised new aid of 2,800 million dollars, including 675 million in weapons. “Since February 24, I learned a special art of diplomacy that can be summed up in one sentence: find weapons for your country! One day, when I write my memoirs, I will describe all the models of cooperation to achieve it”. says Dimitro Kuleba.
“If we unite our efforts, that the moral strength and sacrifices of the Ukrainians are combined with the weapons provided by the West, we can win,” he says.
“We will never consider Zaporizhia as a target”
The head of diplomacy also returns to the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “We never [la] We will consider it a target”, he responded to the accusations of bombing by Russia, although he acknowledged that there was fighting near the site. He supported the mission and the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and called for “the total withdrawal of Russian troops and technicians”.
However, it excludes a plant shutdown. “Our vital interest is to keep it connected to the Ukrainian power grid, he assures us. This allows us to first guarantee our energy security and then be able to export electricity to the European Union.” However, the operator announced this Sunday the shutdown of the last reactor still in operation.
Finally, Dmytro Kuleba in no way excludes a “negotiated peace” with Russia. But he affirms it: “we want to sit at the negotiating table in the position of the winner. And it is on the battlefield that this is decided.”
Source: BFM TV
