“Our goal is survival and victory,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed in his speech via video call at the 28th Annual Economist Government Roundtable and discussion on “Geopolitical Wars: What are the Conditions for Sustainable Peace,” and stressed the need for a global alliance to support the country’s struggle.
As the Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed, his country is alive in war for two years and “experiencing a large-scale attack had to reinvent many steps on the battlefield and in diplomacy”
Military diplomacy, as you mentioned, has some rules. “We must be stubborn to never stop, to push even our friends. We need to promote cooperation with different institutions. We must remember that diplomats in times of war must be flexible.”
He emphasized the need for there to be no exit strategy, no plan B, plan B is what kills plan A. Diplomats in wartime must follow the original plan.
“We are a nation at war and we are fighting to survive. We do not have the ability to monitor the present and predict the future. Here we are fighting for our own future.”
“There is no alternative but to support Ukraine’s victory over Russia,” he stressed. “If we allow Russia to win, it will lead to global conflicts. Russia’s allies will create problems in other parts of the continent.”
“Those who support us have often suggested plan B, but we insist on plan A because we are on our side. We should not be afraid of Putin’s escalation when we make decisions,” he stressed and repeated Ukraine’s call to strengthen air defense.
“Considering the struggle of 1821, we are inspired by the cry of the Greeks ‘freedom or death’underlined and highlighted that “we are grateful to Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the help he provides us”.
“Through collective action we will win,” he stressed.
“If Russia wins, it will trigger a wave of conflict”
“No war lasts forever, that’s what history has shown us. I don’t think there is anyone in the world who can predict how the situation will evolve,” he noted, adding:
“If Ukraine wins, the situation will become clear. The world order is stabilized. If Russia wins, it will trigger a wave of conflict
History has shown many times that whenever something like this happened the price was very high.”
He mentioned that theoretical discussions are important, but they often slow down decision-making.
“At NATO, we are in active dialogue with all our allies and we see positive progress,” he stressed. “But we will be satisfied with the outcome of the summit if the complexity of the decisions to be taken allows Ukraine to take a substantial step towards membership in the Alliance,” he concluded.