On Saturday, December 10, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba spoke via video link at the World Policy Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, organized by the French Institute of International Relations, IFRI.
"Complete restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the borders that existed before February 2014, when Russia attacked and occupied Crimea, is a necessary condition for victory and cannot be a subject of negotiations. Then a broader question arises: how to achieve a strategic victory not only for Ukraine but also for the entire international community, forcing Russia to play by the rules?" - noted Dmytro Kuleba.
The Minister emphasized that the international community will achieve a strategic victory when Russia plays by the rules. If this requires regime change, the Russians will have to undergo this transformation, but it can only come from within. At the same time, the international community can play an important role in creating conditions for Russians to realize this need.
"Russia, which does not threaten other countries, will be a strategic victory for the international community," the Minister said.
Dmytro Kuleba urged not to play the "hypocritical games" of those who say this is "not their war". After all, Russian aggression against Ukraine has global consequences for food and energy security, international peace, and security.
"No country in the world wants a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a nuclear power, to have the right to armed invasion and mass atrocities. If Russia gets away with it, everyone else who wants to change borders by force will be tempted to do it again. People can say, "this is not our war," a hundred times, but the truth is that Russian aggression against Ukraine has global consequences. Therefore, we are all interested in its conclusion as soon as possible with the victory of Ukraine, which protects not only itself, but also the rules on which the world is based," he emphasized.
The Minister stated that the result of the war will be Ukraine's full integration into both the EU and NATO:
"The future of Euro-Atlantic security is being decided now on the battlefield in Ukraine. After the war, our state will have one of the most powerful armies in the world, the most powerful army in Europe, if we consider combat experience and morale and, psychological state, military equipment. NATO would be unwise not to include such a powerful security contributor. In a broader sense, the eastern border of Ukraine is already the eastern border of the Euro-Atlantic space. This is a fact. NATO membership will only be a legal recognition of this fact. And it will happen, I have no doubts."
