Continuing to arm Kiev’s troops against Russia will restore “peace and security” in Europe, the country’s top diplomat says
Dmitry Kuleba. © Getty Images / Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has urged Kiev’s “partners” to continue funneling military aid into the country, claiming that “no one has done enough” to help the nation yet.
“Ukraine is grateful to partners for their military aid, but we should remain honest with one another: No one has done enough as long as Russian boots remain on Ukrainian ground. Arming our country for victory is the shortest way to restoring peace and security in Europe and beyond,” he tweeted on Monday.
The bold statement did not escape the attention of Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, who delved into Kuleba’s thread to mock his rallying call and suggest that Kiev had different goals in mind.
“Translation from Ukrainian: We have squandered our army again, give us more armies, and we will continue to pretend that we are fighting Russia on our own. And don’t forget to sponsor our oligarchs’ luxurious life in Europe!” he wrote.
Since the beginning of the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, the collective West has poured extensive military aid into the country to prop up Kiev in its fight and compensate for its heavy battlefield losses. The US has been by far the biggest supporter of Kiev, having approved more than $100 billion in aid to the country.
Russia has repeatedly urged the West to stop “pumping” Kiev with weapons, maintaining that the continuous aid would only prolong the hostilities and inflict more suffering on ordinary Ukrainians rather than changing the conflict’s ultimate outcome.
Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
Shortly before the hostilities broke out, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Last September, Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, were incorporated into Russia following referendums.
