Speaking at the Ukrainian Strategy Council in London today, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed confidence that a deal on Ukraine behind Ukraine’s back is impossible to make.
“No, we do not see any signs of concessions. Moreover, I am confident no concessions will be made on Ukraine, and I am even more confident on one simple fact: that even if theoretically anyone decides to make any deal with anyone behind Ukraine’s back, it will be impossible to implement because Ukraine will reject anything that will be decided behind its back. This is a matter of principle for our foreign policy. We have a very high level of trust and very good relations with the United States. Just recently, I spoke with Secretary Blinken, President Zelenskyy spoke with him, President Biden will call President Zelenskyy.”
Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Kuleba about the Biden-Putin call. pic.twitter.com/oJJGRFDD1k
— Vitaliy Syzov (@VitaliySyzov) December 9, 2021
Speaking on the air of the British TV channel Sky News earlier that day, he said that Ukraine will fight in case of an attack.
“”They [the US and other allies] can strike economically. We will be fighting on the ground. I am sorry to say that, but there will be a lot of dead Russian soldiers, and we hope President Putin does not want that to happen.“
Kuleba told Sky News he does not expect NATO troops on the ground in the face of Russia’s threat but does expect military support from allies.
At the same event, Kuleba said that London is playing a key role in shaping a comprehensive package for containing Russia, including political containment, the introduction of economic sanctions, and military-technical support for Ukraine. He also noted that London is playing a key role in shaping transatlantic sanctions, in which the USA and the UK on one side are negotiating with the EU on the other side.
