Ukraine's Foreign Minister: if war in Ukraine freezes, Putin will turn it into ticking time bomb
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned against freezing the war in Ukraine, because Russia would use it to its advantage and against Europe.
Source: Ukrinform, citing Kuleba’s video address to the participants of the Paneuropean Union Anniversary Congress, which is taking place from 17 to 20 November 2022 in Vienna, Austria.
"We need a win, not a draw. If we let Russia get a pause now, Putin will turn the frozen conflict into a giant time bomb in the heart of Europe, ready to explode at any moment. It would be a strategic mistake for Europe to aim for that outcome," the minister emphasised.
The minister called on all partners of Ukraine not to suggest that Ukraine "compromise with our consciousness, territorial integrity or sovereignty… Because these will also be your compromises with your own security."
"Moscow has not changed its ultimatum tone, and is now not ready for serious negotiations. They make statements designed to create the impression that they are ready for negotiations, but this is only a smokescreen for their continued aggression. No-one should be fooled by this," the minister said.
Kuleba expressed his conviction that only victory by Ukraine will bring true peace: "This goal is quite achievable, and we proved it with the successful Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives this autumn. Renunciation of fear is an important condition on the way to victory."
Background: Jan Lipavský, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, opposed imposing conditions on Ukraine to make peace with Russia, which launched a full-scale armed aggression against it.
Earlier, some US officials, including General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had expressed concern that the hostilities in Ukraine could reach a stalemate during the winter, so Kyiv should consider resuming diplomatic talks with Russia.
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