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War unlikely to end in coming days: Ukrainian FM

01.04.2022 08:00
Ukraine’s foreign minister has said there are no reasons to believe that Russia’s war against his country will end in the coming days.
Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.PAP/Piotr Nowak

Dmytro Kuleba made the prediction in an interview with Poland’s TVN24 news channel on Thursday.

Referring to Ukraine-Russia peace talks under way in Turkey, Kuleba said he was “very cautious” about believing Moscow’s declarations.

“Unfortunately there are no reasons to believe that this war will end in the coming days,” he stated.

Kuleba told TVN24 that as a diplomat, he “believed in negotiations” and that there had been “a clear change of tone” on the part of the Russian delegation.

At the same time, he said that while Russia "has indeed withdrawn certain units and equipment from northern Ukraine,” Ukrainian cities continued to be shelled and “the Russians are open about planning a large-scale offensive in the Donbas region.”

Kuleba called on the NATO alliance to “show political will” and provide military equipment and ammunition to his country.

‘Real security guarantees’

The foreign minister said that Ukraine would be willing to consider neutral status provided that there were “real security mechanisms and guarantees” from a sufficient number of countries.

He added that neutrality would mean Ukraine not joining NATO, but the country remained determined to become a member of the European Union. 

Kuleba also said that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could continue to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin “to try and end the war and put an end to the suffering.”

“However, no agreements can be made on Ukraine’s behalf and behind its back,” he stated.

Kuleba has been in Poland this week, meeting with the country’s leaders including President Andrzej DudaPrime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, news outlets reported.

Friday is day 37 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, tvn24.pl