Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia’s war against Ukraine is “existential for Europe,” adding that Europeans “can’t afford not to win along with Ukraine.”
“Europeans understand – it is about them too… It will be the end of Europe if Ukraine loses,” Kuleba told Forbes Ukraine in an interview published on Oct. 9.
When asked how the European Union has reacted to the war dragging on longer than expected, Kuleba said that the narrative that currently prevails in the EU calls for supporting Ukraine as long as necessary for its victory.
“This was voiced by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and by ministers,” the official added.
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Kuleba’s statement comes amid reports that the EU was preparing to open membership talks with Ukraine, with a formal announcement expected as early as December.
In the interview, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister also spoke about the prospect of Kyiv-Moscow negotiations, saying that only the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine would mean that the Kremlin is ready for diplomacy.
“But this will not mean Ukraine’s automatic consent to negotiations. Russia has fooled us, the Europeans and the Americans too often to believe it from the first word or step,” Kuleba told the Ukrainian media outlet.
“Until Ukrainian border guards return to the last border post in the east of Ukraine or on the island of Tuzla, my message to those who dare to offer any territorial concessions is to not even think about it.”
Read also: Why Ukraine chooses to negotiate on the battlefield, not at peace talks
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