KYIV, March 19, 2024. Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs hosted a live briefing with over 160 journalists and editors from 65 countries across the globe.
Minister Kuleba spoke on Ukraine’s foreign policy as Russia continues to escalate the security situation in the Donbas region, Crimea, and along Ukraine’s borders.
He answered numerous questions from journalists from all continents of the world. Ukraine is working to secure “a strong and far-reaching step” towards membership of NATO at the military alliance’s Washington summit in July, Kuleba said at the briefing.
“We are actively cooperating with the NATO leadership and key allies regarding the outcome of the Washington summit.”
Kuleba also said that Ukraine meets the main membership criterion in terms of its ability to protect NATO borders.
“We are working hard in order to take a strong and far-reaching step towards Ukraine’s NATO membership at the summit in Washington,” Kuleba said, adding that he cannot go into details about the current discussions.
The Foreign Minister Kuleba asserted that he anticipates the United States will extend aid to Kyiv, noting that the American Congress is still deliberating on a proposed $60 billion aid package for the war-torn nation.
“First, I think American aid will come. Second, we see our European partners significantly increasing their military production and purchases in third countries to help Ukraine,” Kuleba said.
While acknowledging the proactive efforts of Kyiv’s European partners in mitigating the impact of the delayed decision in the US Congress, Kuleba stressed that while it doesn’t entirely resolve the issue, it does “help maintain pressure.”
Kuleba underscored that “clever use of available weapons and heroism of soldiers” remains crucial in addressing the scarcity of weaponry, emphasizing Ukraine’s continuous endeavors to explore new avenues for sourcing arms and ammunition for its military.
During the briefing, Kuleba revealed information about the current state of the ongoing war in Ukraine, including Ukraine’s management of arms and the forthcoming global peace summit in Switzerland.
Kuleba said Ukraine continues to defend 1,200 kilometers of active frontline as it did in the last 25 months since the full-scale invasion.
“The situation in the frontline remains tense,” Kuleba said.
Speaking about the self-reliance in arms, Kuleba said “drones are the new heroes of the war”, revealing that Ukraine is planning to domestically produce one million drones this year only. He also stressed that his country needs armor and engineering equipment.
“Ukraine is different from Russia. While we respect the lives of our soldiers, Russia is using brutal tactics by sending more number of soldiers to the battlefield” Kuleba said.
He additionally provided updates on the artillery ammunition pledged by supportive nations. According to him, Ukraine is actively exploring additional sources to acquire weaponry for its armed forces.
Kuleba commended Ukraine’s successful negotiation of the Black Sea grain deal, which facilitated the provision of food grains to 33 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. He highlighted that beyond commercial exports, Ukraine also extended thousands of tons of humanitarian aid in the form of free food grains to numerous vulnerable families in various nations.
“This year is rich in elections and Ukraine doesn’t meddle in other countries’ elections; we will work with the governments which are democratically elected, and in the case of Russia, the elections are not real,” Kuleba said in response to a question about election results in Russia and elections in many countries this year.
Addressing the recent Russian presidential election, Kuleba characterized it as “beyond reality,” while insisting that Moscow is the one that must be held accountable for recent assaults on oil refineries on Russain soil.
“There is a direct consequence of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine. If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin had not launched this attack, thousands of Russians would not have been killed in Ukraine and nothing would have happened in Russia,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Kuleba said.
Ukraine’s foreign minister expressed his strong conviction that Russia is not going to succeed to “obliterate the country.”
He also said that Russia will persist in attacking “other European or Central Asian countries” should they succeed in Ukraine, because Moscow is driven by “expansionist aspirations and ambitions.”
In that context, Kuleba referenced a document circulated by Russia toward the end of 2021, wherein the Kremlin insisted that NATO revert to its borders as they stood in 1997.
“I would not limit Putin’s ambitions to Moldova and Georgia. His plans go much, much further, and he will move as far as he is allowed to. That’s why the most effective way to prevent a situation where NATO and Central European countries fight Russian soldiers on their own territory is to help Ukraine defeat Russia on our territory,” he said.
Whatever the cost of helping Ukraine now, the cost of waging a war on its own is much higher, including the highest price in human lives that Ukraine is currently paying, Kuleba emphasized, given Putin’s desire to restore the Soviet Union, his ambitions go beyond the borders of Russia’s immediate neighboring countries.
“He [Putin] does not recognize the right of many states to be within their internationally recognized borders, so Central Asian countries should also be concerned,” Kuleba added.
Kuleba also said that since his January meeting in Uzhhorod, western Ukraine, with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Ukraine has continued its dialogue with Hungary on the issues that are straining the countries’ bilateral relations.
“Our country and our people never wanted this war. We have never attacked anyone and we have not given anyone a reason to attack us,” he said.
Asked about China’s potential role as a peace broker, Kuleba emphasized that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point Peace Formula is the “only realistic” approach to resolving the 25-month-long conflict.
“China has absolutely huge potential in putting an end to this Russian aggression against Ukraine because of the special relationship that China has with Russia,” he added.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba suggested that while Europe perceives Russia as a direct threat, the Global South is attempting to align with the perceived victor in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“When Ukraine has gains on the battlefield, we see the Global South becoming more friendly. When the situation is more stable on the battlefield, we see the Global South becoming more balanced in its approach,” Kuleba told the international press.
He emphasized that “the political dynamics depend on the dynamics on the front line.”
The term ‘Global South’ generally encompasses states from South America, Africa, and Asia that are not aligned with major global powers.
Video source: MFA Ukraine
CIVIL.TODAY / CIVIL MEDIA News Desk
