Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Ukraine has turned the tide against Russia, telling a Warsaw security conference that Kyiv is intercepting 90 percent of incoming drones and has emerged as a security partner for Middle Eastern nations.
"We have stabilized the front and grown stronger, while Russia has grown weaker," Sybiha said at the PISM Strategic Ark conference, adding that Ukraine is "in momentum" and nearing the point where time will work in its favor.
Sybiha cautioned, however, that Russia's economy — while vulnerable — has not reached a critical state. He pointed to growing restrictions on social media inside Russia as a sign of internal strain, saying support for President Vladimir Putin is decreasing among the Russian public. "Something is happening there," he said.
The minister recalled early skepticism from European partners at the war's outset. "Nobody believed in us. When we asked embassies for sanctions, they gave us three or five days," he said. "I remember talks with leaders who pushed us to accept capitulation and Russian demands."
Sybiha said that US engagement remains essential and described the PURL program — covering long-range missiles and air defense systems — as critical. He said Ukraine is now sending its own military instructors to allied nations, and concluded that Ukraine's best strategic outcome remains full NATO membership.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, appearing on the same panel, said colonization wars typically last at least a decade and urged allies to plan accordingly. He argued that hesitation among some partners stemmed from a mistaken belief that supplying Kyiv with tanks or aircraft would provoke Russian escalation — when in fact, he said, Putin escalates whenever he can regardless.
Sikorski said Ukraine must not be forced into an unfavorable settlement as long as it continues to receive financial and military backing, noting that its battle-hardened army has significantly expanded its capabilities while maintaining relatively low operational costs.
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Source: PAP